


Control

by queenxxxsupreme



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, F/M, Hydra (Marvel), Marvel Universe, Past Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 90,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenxxxsupreme/pseuds/queenxxxsupreme
Summary: "I am violent, bitter, and ugly! Inside and out!" She growled through clenched teeth at him. She didn't understand why he wouldn't turn and run. Everyone else would the second she raised her voice. Why didn't he do the same?"Oh, princessa." A soft, heartwarming smile crossed his lips and his blue eyes twinkled as he gazed down at her. "I think you're adorable when you're angry."
Relationships: Pietro Maximoff & Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER  
> I own none of the Avengers, just the main character and all the ones made up for the purpose of this story.

HYDRA agents moved out of Scarlett Rose's way as she moved quickly through the halls of the Tokyo facility. Her blue eyes were dark and her jaw was locked, fists clenched together right by her sides, one holding a crumpled folder. She was furious and no one dared to get in her way. She was unstoppable, a force even the most powerful HYDRA agents wouldn't mess with.

"He isn't seeing anyone, Rose." One of the agents standing next to a door at the end of the hallway spoke.

"He's seeing me." She told him. "I have to speak with him about a mission."

The two agents shared a glance but neither one made an effort to let her by.

"Fine." Scarlett pulled a knife from the holster on her hip. "I'm talking to him one way or another, boys. I'm going to literally go through you or you're going to let me in."

"No need for that." One of the guard spoke hastily. He opened the door for Scarlett and stepped aside to let her in. The office was neatly organized with books on tall shelves on either side of the room. In the very center of the room was a granite desk. A man was sitting at the desk, scribbling something on to paper.

"I'm busy, Agent Rose." He didn't bother to look up at her. "By the way, threatening my agents into doing what you want isn't okay."

"You want me to kill the Winter Soldier?" She ignored him, slamming the folder in her hand down on the desk. She pressed her index finger against the file, emphasizing her outrage at the mere thought of doing what was inside of the folder. "Do you know how long HYDRA worked to make the Asset compliant? _To_ _make him work_? Having him executed is a waste of HYDRA's very limited, very valuable resources. You may be one of the new Heads but you make piss-poor calls, Takahashi, and you will be the ultimate downfall of HYDRA."

The man had put his pen down and leaned back in his seat to watch Scarlett's rant.

"Are you done, agent?"

Scarlett looked into his eyes for a few heartbeats before realizing she had practically screamed at her boss, an act that would get anyone else killed instantly. Taking a step away from his desk, she let out a breath and clasped her hands together behind her back.

"The Asset has become a liability we cannot afford. You, Agent Rose, are the best assassin _after_ the Asset." Takahashi stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and picked up the file. He handed it back to her. "We will pretend you never even thought of coming in here and raising your voice at me. Dismissed."

Scarlett dropped her gaze to the folder.

"I am the only agent here who has been by your side since HYDRA came out of S.H.I.E.L.D., since we showed the world what we are truly capable of. If I go to complete this mission, I will die and HYDRA will be no more."

"Then I suggest you don't die." Takahashi moved out from around his desk. "I have been meaning to talk to you about this, Scarlett."

She remained in her spot, feet firmly placed as she braced for anything he would do to her. He was the only head of HYDRA at the moment and for an agent to do what she had just done, a beating was the best thing that could happen to her. He landed a solid punch in her cheek, which she saw coming. It took all of her strength and self-restraint not to let herself attack him. She had been trained practically since she could walk to fight and kill. Not defending herself was like not breathing.

"I have seen the way you obediently followed our previous leaders. Why is it you continue to give me shit, Scarlett?"

"Because I refuse to stand by and watch HYDRA burn." She spoke through her teeth, keeping her head straight ahead while her eyes flickered to look at him. "I was raised in this. I sacrificed anything and _anyone_ to survive. I will not let a trust-fund baby who grew up with everything handed to him ruin my way of life."

Takahashi laughed quietly at her.

"Is that why you're angry with me? Because I had parents who loved me?"

"You aren't fooling anyone, Takahashi. You were an asshole kid who screamed and threw temper tantrums when you didn't get your way. And you still do. Your parents hated you." Scarlett held his gaze, refusing to let him think he could intimidate her. "I had to do things to get what I wanted, to get where I am today. You had everything given to you. In my opinion, you should never have been trusted to work within HYDRA like this."

"Then it's a good thing no one listens to you." He chuckled at her. "Don't worry, agent. I'm sure your parents knew what they were doing when they dropped you on Pierce's doorstep."

Scarlett counted to ten in her head and then began to count backwards from ten to one. She needed to regain the control she felt she was losing so that she didn't murder him.

"I watched you grow from the time you were twelve, Agent Rose." He moved to go back to his seat. "You would have made a great Winter Soldier. Too bad you run that mouth too much."

"He's got nothing on me." She seethed through gritted teeth.

"That is why I send you and not an agent I expect to die. Leave for the mission. I expect a phone call from you in two days telling me the mission is complete. If you do not call, I'll assume it is because you're dead. A party will be sent to retrieve your body—if there is anything left."

"Yes, sir." She replied with an irritated sigh.

———

Scarlett knew the Winter Soldier would see her coming. He would know she was a HYDRA agent from the very second he saw her. There was no way he'd let her get close enough to inject him with the lethal toxin Takahashi had wanted her to use.

Once she was on the tall building across from the Avengers Tower, she settled in a corner and began to pull parts of her rifle out and put them together. Memories of all the bones she had broken when training with the Asset, all of the bruises and the concussions she received came flooding back to her as she thought of the Winter Soldier.

He was cold, calculated, and meticulous when it came to their training. One of Scarlett's most distinctive memories of the murder machine was of when he was teaching her how to get out of handcuffs while fighting. She managed to get one hand out of the handcuffs only after cutting up her wrists with the metal in a mad attempt to get free. Once her hand was free, she could properly fight. However, he broke her arm before she could even think of defending herself.

Taking a deep breath, Scarlett pushed the memories aside. She didn't need the distractions. She needed to get this mission done so that she could do something else with her time. Once her rifle was assembled, she settled on the edge of the building with her rifle next to her. Her feet dangled over the edge of the structure and the wind blew through her hair.

———

After two hours of waiting, three Avengers finally walked into view. Scarlett watched as the Asset moved through the crowd. She got down from the side of the building and perched her weapon on the ledge. Peering through the scope, Scarlett chambered a bullet and estimated the speed of the wind from her location. The wind was blowing her hair to the left. Her knowledge and training in being a sniper told her it was roughly three miles an hour. Scarlett adjusted her gun and searched through the scope for her target. He was walking away from her. She aimed her bullet to hit his head and pulled the trigger. Just as she had pulled the trigger, an unpredictable gust of wind came through.

"Shit." She cursed. The bullet missed the Winter Soldier and instead hit the building next to him. " _Shit_."

Instantly, the Asset spun around and looked up at her. Being a trained sniper himself, he knew where the attempted hit came from. Words were spoken between him and his friends before they began to sprint towards the building she was in.

Scarlett calmly started to take her rifle apart so it would be easy to transport. Her duffle bag was slung across her shoulders and then she began to make her way for the door that would take her back inside. Scarlett could hear heavy footsteps coming towards her. _Damn, they were fast_. She pulled a gun from the holster underneath her arm and decided to wait for the three men to get to her. Aiming it down, she pulled the slide back and chambered a bullet. The first one to turn the corner was Steve Rogers. Scarlett didn't hesitate to pull the trigger once she aimed. He moved just in time for the bullet to hit the wall behind his head. They didn't move. They were waiting, hiding, trying to think of a plan. They knew she had the higher ground. She had the advantage.

"I have no business with you, Captain Rogers." Scarlett called down the stairs.

"I won't let you kill him."

Scarlett sighed through her nose and checked her watch. She returned her grip to her gun and began to tap her foot.

"HYDRA sent you." Bucky spoke. It wasn't a question. He knew he was on their list but he didn't expect to be on the kill one. Scarlett quit tapping her foot. His voice was no different than when she had last seen him. Her index finger that rested on the barrel of the gun began to rub the metal.

"They did." She answered flatly. "You should know better, Soldier. If HYDRA can't have you, then no one can."

"Coming after me is a suicide mission. Did you volunteer to do this?"

"I'm damn good at what I do, Soldier." Scarlett paused for a brief second. "Learned from the best."

Bucky's eyes searched the ground as if he was looking for a lost item, but in reality he was searching his mind for a face that would match the voice he was hearing.

"Do.... Do I know you?"

Scarlett moved to stand at the very top of the stairs, her gun held down and her ears listening carefully. A few silent heartbeats passed before Bucky did the same as her. He stepped right into the spot light, ignoring the fact that she could easily shoot him now that he wasn't covered.

"Why does HYDRA want him dead?" Steve asked, moving into the spot next to Bucky.

"He's becoming a problem. Even more so than you."

"You can't be more than seventeen, kid."

Scarlett ignored Steve. She didn't need him to complete her mission. She needed the Winter Soldier. Her eyes met the Asset's. The gun in her hand was squeezed tightly. This would be a bloody and ugly fight. If she survived, it would be a miracle from the gods. If she died, it wouldn't be the worse thing that had ever happened to her.

"Я обучил вас." _{"I trained you."—Russian}_ Bucky said.

Scarlett slid the safety off with her thumb. Anger and rage were starting to swarm in her gut. She no longer wanted to shoot him. She desperately wished to gut the man with a knife. Scarlett wanted to make the murder personal like that. With her gun holstered, she began to take slow cautious steps down the stairs as she looked into his eyes. Her fingers itched to grab her knife but she refrained for the time being. It would make them uneasy and they'd see it coming.

"Вы даже не дали мне возможности учиться!" _{"You never even gave me a chance to learn!"—Russian}_ Scarlett's voice was filled with acid. Her heart began to beat louder in her ears the closer she came to her target. " _I_ was willing to learn. _I_ was the best in the Academy! _I_ was the only one who stepped forward when Karpov asked if anyone would be willing to train under you, _the deadly Winter Soldier_." She spat the title, her eyes filled with an unreadable emotion.

"I didn't have control of what I did to you." Bucky's voice was firm as he watched her. He knew what she was capable. Even though the girl was small in stature and appeared to be harmless, she'd brutally murder anyone in the room if she felt the desire.

"Do you even remember me?" Scarlett stopped on the second step from the last one, her hands in tight fists by her sides. Bucky searched her face for a few minutes. His brows were crinkled together and his lips in a firm line.

"I do."

His lack of emotion with his response fueled the fire inside of her even more. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, threatening to break through her ribcage.

"Man, y'all run too fast!" Sam panted out as he climbed the stairs to get to where Steve and Bucky were.

Both men happened to glance at their friend, giving Scarlett the distraction she needed. She launched herself at the Asset, her knee colliding with his ribs. The force pushed him back into the wall. Scarlett pulled a knife from her belt and swung for his face. Bucky caught her wrist, holding it with his left hand. There was a split second of silence where their eyes met. She thought for sure that he would snap her wrist right then and there, but he didn't. Bucky could see the dark, blood-hungry look in her eyes. She was determined to end him.

Another knife was pulled from somewhere on Scarlett's body and lodged into his side just below his ribs while he was distracted. Bucky let her arm go but he didn't have time to check the wound. The female assassin was relentless, swinging knives and dodging all of his hits.

Steve stepped in when he realized Bucky was injured. The Captain America dropped to the floor and tried to kick her legs out from underneath her. Scarlett jumped on to his leg as it came around and then kicked him square in the chest. She turned in the same instant and pulled a pistol out from the holster, sliding the safety off. Scarlett held it up to Bucky. Luckily, he saw the move coming just in time to grab the gun and push it away from him as it went off. The bullet hit the wall behind Bucky. She kicked Bucky's shin and then his knee before bringing her hand bearing a knife around and swinging for Steve. He ducked and threw a punch at her. Scarlett moved, allowing the hit intended for her to hit Bucky in the cheek.

The extremely close fighting continued for probably no more than a few seconds. Scarlett's tinier frame proved to be an asset to maneuvering around the large men. Steve was determined to stop her while Bucky didn't try to hurt her. He only attempted to disarm her when she tried to shoot or stab him. A few hits were landed on Scarlett's face. She stabbed Bucky a total of four times and cut Steve's shirt up, breaking skin on him only once.

Scarlett was pushed into the steps that led upstairs. She landed on them with a huff, her knees and an elbow taking the majority of the impact. She turned, pulling out her second gun, and shot at Bucky but hit Steve instead. Just as she was going to fire again, her muscles tensed up and she fell to one knee. Her finger on the trigger clenched up and the gun fired once more. The bullet hit the wall behind Bucky. Steve kicked the weapon out of her hand. The familiar painful shock of being tased was something Scarlett was trained to endure. She trembled a little but started to push herself back on to her feet.

"Damn, girl!" Sam shouted, hesitantly reaching over and tasing her again.

"That won't work." Bucky told him.

"Maybe this will." Steve stepped forward and delivered a decent hit to the assassin's temple. She collapsed to the floor, landing on the stairs. This woman tried to murder his best friend. He wasn't about to let her take Bucky away from him.

"We need to take her back to the Tower." Bucky spoke quickly as he moved up the steps past Scarlett. He knelt down by her bag and started to go through it hastily.

"The hell we do. Barnes, she was just trying to kill you."

"She has every right to want me dead, Wilson." Bucky snapped. His eyes lifted up to meet Steve's. "She's a kid, Steve. I-I trained her."

"That explains why she's that good at fighting." Steve rubbed the back of his head, looking down at Scarlett.

"How are we going to get her back to the Tower without anyone seeing us carry an unconscious girl?" Sam questioned.

"I'll call Romanoff." Steve grumbled as he moved away from the scene. He paused and looked over to his best friend. "How bad are your stab wounds, Buck?"

"I'll survive." He replied flatly, too concerned about what was in her bag. He was searching for something that might have her name on it. He could see her face, the face of a kid, but he couldn't match a name to it. Sam watched as Steve walked away, going a few steps down to call Natasha Romanoff. The Falcon looked back to Bucky, who met his gaze.

"What?" Bucky zipped the bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Are we really going to keep someone who tried to kill you? Man, that sounds like a bad idea." Sam shook his head, bending down to pick up the gun she had dropped.

"It is, especially considering who she is." Bucky's sight fell on to Scarlett. "She's bad news."


	2. Two

"What's this I hear about us harboring _another_ HYDRA assassin?" Tony Stark questioned as he stepped out of the elevator and on to the lab floor. Just behind him was the rest of the Avengers. "I think our collection is full enough."

"She's an old friend of Barnes'." Sam answered. He stood with his arms crossed as Bucky finished stitching his own wounds.

"Did she do that to you?" Peter Parker's eyes widened as he took note of the wounds on Bucky's side, right shoulder, right arm, and just above his left hip.

"Some friend." Clint Barton muttered. He moved over to the pod the assassin was in. She was placed in a pod that allowed no one in or out unless they had the code for the room. "A freaking kid? That's who whipped your asses?"

"Shut up, Barton. She's fast." Bucky got down from the table he was parked on and grabbed his shirt. "And really wants me dead."

"Who is she?" Natasha Romanoff stood beside Clint. Her eyes studied Scarlett before she looked over to Bucky.

"It's hard to explain." Bucky leaned against the table he was just on as he slipped his shirt over his head. "Karpov tried to set up a program where I trained future HYDRA assassins. It didn't happen too many times, at least from what I can remember. The program failed because.... because I killed a lot of the agents. Which ever ones I didn't kill, she did. I.... I trained her." He brushed a hand over his scruffy jaw.

"What's her name?" Bruce Banner listed his head up from his laptop to join the conversation.

"I can't remember that. I think it's.... I don't know." Bucky pushed himself off of the table and moved to the pod. He stood by a window, staring in at the young girl. "She's good at what she does though."

"And what's that?" Pietro Maximoff raised his brows.

"What I did when I was under HYDRA's control." Bucky's voice was solemn.

"Maybe if we get a name, we can search who she is." Tony suggested.

"Her name was.... All I can remember is everyone saying she's a demon or something like that. They always.... always whispered it behind her back, saying she's the devil in the form of a girl."

"Holy shit." Pietro took a step away from the pod, his hand grabbing Wanda's instantly. "That's Scarlett Rose?"

Bucky repeated the name over and over in his mind. It didn't sound familiar but it felt right. He nodded his head, his eyes flickering back to Scarlett.

"Who's Scarlett Rose?" Steve asked the twins.

"She has a reputation for being HYDRA's most elite and lethal agent." Wanda Maximoff's voice was filled with tension. She clearly didn't like talking about the HYDRA agent. It made her uncomfortable. "Bucky pales in comparison to her. He had no say in what was done to him or with what he did. She takes every horrific, gory mission handed to her with open arms and a smirk on her lips."

"She's not someone you want as an enemy." Pietro squeezed his sister's hand, shaking his head gently. "When we were with HYDRA, we heard rumors that she killed an entire team that was suppose to train her."

"The team was made up of six or seven fully grown men." Wanda added. "She was–what–twelve or thirteen at the time."

"Killed them all with a knife." Pietro nodded his head, blue eyes focused on the floor. "That's what I heard."

"That was before she started training with me." Bucky said. "That's why she came to me. She kept killing her trainers. Pierce didn't want to stop her training but he wanted to stop losing agents."

"Whose kid is she?" Clint changed the topic. He couldn't stop wondering who was missing her and what had been done to her. If anything had happened to his daughter, he'd do whatever it took to get her back and make sure she was safe.

There was a scar going through Scarlett's right eyebrow and through her lips. Three scars clearly from someone scratching her were across her lower jaw on the left side and down her neck.

"I don't think anyone knows for sure." Wanda shifted in her spot. "Rumors are that she's Alexander Pierce's granddaughter. Others said she's the daughter of a S.H.I.E.L.D. sleeper agent. Brock Rumlow, Grant Ward, Strucker even. No one.... I guess no one knew for sure, or cared to find out."

"She's a spawn of hell, I'll tell you that much." Pietro grunted.

"Let's run a facial scan, Brucey." Tony suggested, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he moved away from the pod. "She's got to be somewhere on a missing poster."

———

Scarlett listened to the muffled voices talking. Whoever it was, they were arguing over soccer. The room she was in was cold but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"I know you're awake." The Asset spoke. Her eyes snapped open. Scarlett found herself staring at a bleach white ceiling. She had been captured by the Avengers. Scarlett slowly sat up, her muscles sore and tense from when she was tazed. Her head was throbbing too.

"Tell your friend that I'm going to kill him after I finish you." She brushed her fingers over the angry purple bruise on her temple. She could sense someone watching her and she knew it had to be him. "Both of them."

"I understand why you want to kill me, Scarlett. You were given orders but you don't have to listen—,"

"I wasn't sent here just because I'm the best, Soldier." Scarlett stood to her feet, her eyes meeting Bucky's. "They sent me here because I _want_ to kill you. They wanted someone with motive. Motive gives less room for mistakes."

Bucky looked away from her. He didn't want her to confront him about all the pain he caused her.

"Don't talk to him like that."

Scarlett's eyes flickered back to the man standing a few feet behind Bucky. It was Steve. She glared at him with darkened eyes, her jaw set.

"Why do you want me dead so bad?" Bucky asked quietly. He knew she was angry about what he had done to her, all the pain he put her through, but she had to understand that he had no control of his mind.

"Are you serious!" Scarlett raised her voice. "You told Karpov and Pierce and everyone else that I wasn't worth training! You told them I wasn't learning! I broke bones for that position! I bled for it! I killed my own classmates! They didn't deserve the title of being the next Super Soldier."

"You want this?" Bucky gestured to his left arm, eyes wide and filled with confusion. "You don't know half of what it takes for someone to be a pawn of HYDRA's."

"I've known nothing outside of them." Scarlett held her head high and proud, her eyes filled with a dangerous fire. "I belong with them, to them. Serving HYDRA—,"

"I'm going to be sick." Bucky cut her off, moving away from the pod.

"You grew up in HYDRA?" Tony questioned, tapping a pen against his palm as he looked to the assassin from across the room. Scarlett didn't answer so he continued. "Your opinion of those terrorist Nazi assholes is from not knowing any other way of life. Am I right? Hey, I get you. I really do. I mean, you're still a bad person but—,"

"There's no point in trying to get through to her, Stark." Bucky shook his head, sitting down heavily in a chair. "She won't listen."

Scarlett moved to sit on the metal bench in the pod. She rested on the edge of the bench with her back straight, shoulders squared, and her hands resting on her knees.

"So what are we going to do with her?" Peter whispered to the two scientists in the room.

"Don't know." Tony sighed.

"Should we try to find a family?" Bruce suggested. His eyes met Tony's. "She's a kid. Someone has to be out there worried about their psychotic assassin child."

The Iron Man turned his head to the pod, briefly looking at Scarlett, before shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess that's the least we can do." He sat down at his desk and started to type on to his laptop. "Does anyone else feel like we're magnets for insane sociopaths? I mean first there was Loki and then Ultron and now her?"

"Should we try to question her?" Natasha asked the Avengers present in the lab.

"Yeah." Steve nodded his head. "Let's move her from that pod down to the interrogation rooms." 

"You want to transport her while she's wide awake?" Pietro raised his brows.

"Why not? Romanoff, Barton, Bucky, and Wanda will be with me and her."

Scarlett watched as Steve picked up a pair of handcuffs and began to make his way towards the pod. She listened as he scanned his palm and the door hissed open.

"Are you going to make this difficult?" Steve asked. Scarlett silently watched him, standing slowly to her feet. She turned around with her hands behind her back. Steve didn't trust her actions. She had to be planning something.

He moved towards her with extreme caution. One cuff was slipped around her wrist. He looked up to her head, his jaw locked firmly as he prepared for her to act on being handcuffed. However, Scarlett was completely still. The handcuffs were put on her and Steve took her by the arm to lead her out. Scarlett ignored the eyes of the Avengers on her, her head held high and proud.

Scarlett was led out of the lab and down a hall. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a handful of Avengers following herself and the Captain. The corner of her lips turned up in a dark smirk. They were scared of her. Once the doors to the elevator closed and all of the Avengers tagging along were inside, the machine began to move up. Scarlett absentmindedly tapped her fingers against the handcuffs restraining her. Without any warning, she kicked her foot out to her left, hitting the side of Steve's knee. Then she blocked a hit from Natasha with her right forearm and delivered a hefty kick to Clint's stomach. She dodged a punch from Steve and struck his side with her elbow.

Bucky was just about to step in when Wanda thrusted her hand out and sent a blast of red magic straight to Scarlett. The HYDRA agent collapsed to the floor.

"Thanks, Wanda." Steve glanced to her briefly before bringing his eyes down to the girl.

"I'll carry her." Bucky offered, stepping between Clint and Natasha to get to Scarlett.

———

Scarlett's eyes flickered open, her head lifting from where it had been hanging.

"Finally." Natasha uncrossed her arms and put them on the table. "Thought you'd sleep all day. I'm—,"

"Natasha Romanoff." Scarlett cut her off, lifting her head and flicking her head back to get her dark hair out of her eyes. "Black Widow. Ex-assassin turned do-gooder."

"We've met before?"

"No. Your name was pretty big when I was being trained." Scarlett mumbled, her eyes gliding around the room. "HYDRA's leaders thought I'd be the next big bad."

"Do you resent Barnes for not training you good enough to be what your superiors wanted you to be?"

Scarlett's green eyes instantly met the Widow's.

"His training was shit."

"He's a deadly assassin. He doesn't go easy on anyone." Natasha shrugged her shoulders softly.

"You don't know any of what I went through, Romanoff, so don't try to justify what happened." Scarlett growled, her hand chained to the table turning into a fist.

"I actually know a little of what you went through." Natasha shifted in her seat, her eyes falling to her hands on the table. "I'm sure with growing up in HYDRA you've heard some things about the Red Room."

Scarlett was silent. She didn't understand Natasha's tactics. This was suppose to be an interrogation. But then again, Natasha Romanoff was an assassin, a spy. She didn't need to ask direct questions to get the answers she desired.

"I won't say much.... I prefer not to talk about that time." Natasha half heartedly smiled, though it was tight and looked uncomfortable. "But you're young and you can come back from what they've drilled into you."

"What's with you freaking Avengers trying to make everyone good guys?" Scarlett threw her hands into the air, though the one chained to the table didn't go too far. "If everyone's good, what the hell are you supposed to do with your lives?"

"We've seen what HYDRA's done to young kids too many times, Scarlett. You can claim your loyalty to them all you want but you don't mean it."

Scarlett locked her jaw, her eyes glaring daggers at Natasha.

"Hail HYDRA."

In the room next to the one Natasha and Scarlett were in, Bucky stood by the window with his metal fist to his mouth.

 _"Let's get a blood sample from her, Romanoff."_ Tony suggested, speaking through to the earbud Natasha wore. _"Maybe we can see if she's enhanced or if her DNA's in the NCIC."_

"She won't be in any database anywhere." Bucky shook his head. "She's too smart for that."

In the interrogation room, Natasha straightened her shoulders and looked to her hands.

"How exactly do you want me to go about that, Stark?" She sighed out.

 _"Punch her in the nose."_ Bruce answered. All eyes turned to him. _"I.... It was just a suggestion."_

"Damn, Banner." Scott chuckled at him.

"Would you be willing to give a sample of your DNA to us, Scarlett?" Natasha asked the agent.

"Hell no. What do you need DNA for?"

"To see if you are enhanced since you're being uncooperative."

"I'm not enhanced. What makes you think I am?"

"Barnes suggested you were."

" _The Soldier_ doesn't know anything. All he was good for was his missions for HYDRA—,"

Natasha cut her off by punching Scarlett square in the nose. The blow wasn't hard enough to do any damage to Scarlett. She smirked as she sat back in her chair. She had pressed a button.

"Does everyone here love him or something?"

"We care about human life."

Scarlett shook her head in disbelief. Natasha stood up and left the room. She looked down at her hand, the one she used to hit Scarlett. There was blood on her knuckles.

"Can you get a sample from my hand, Banner?" She spoke through the earbud.


	3. Three

"Why don't you go in there and look inside her head a little, Wanda?" Steve suggested, lifting his head so he could look at Wanda.

"Steve, you know that isn't right."

"Maybe if we know her fears, we can use them against her." Sam said.

"She won't have fears you can use against her." Bucky shook his head. "Clowns, spiders, small spaces, heights, death even. She's been trained to never fear anything."

"Just cause you're trained for it, doesn't mean it won't happen." Natasha shook her head gently.

"Wanda." Clint said her name and nodded his head lightly. Wanda turned her head to her twin brother. Pietro was silent as he looked at her.

"Okay." Wanda spoke softly.

———

Scarlett's eyes scanned the room filled with Avengers. Thor was the one escorting her in to the conference room, which Scarlett took advantage of. She leaned against him more than she needed to and shamelessly tried to flirt with him between the interrogation room and the conference room.

"Can I get the metal off, handsome?" She looked over her shoulder to him.

"Definitely not." He shook his head, pulling a chair out for Scarlett at the end of the large table. "Sit, please."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and sat down heavily in the chair. Thor attached the handcuffs to a chain connected to the table. She wouldn't be able to move more than a few inches away from the table.

"Have you met Wanda Maximoff?" Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No." Scarlett looked to the brunette woman with an unreadable face. "But word gets around in HYDRA. Their successful experiments are all anyone ever talks about."

"The same goes for you." Wanda folded her arms over her chest. "Alexander Pierce's pride and joy."

"His little stone-cold assassin." Pietro added, standing protectively behind his sister.

"Pierce had nothing to do with who I am today." Scarlett almost growled.

"Sounds like you don't like him too much." Clint commented.

"That's funny because she always followed him around like a wounded puppy." Pietro mumbled.

" _That's funny_ coming from a bunch of lab rats."

"She pretends to have an undying faith for HYDRA, but she hates all of them." Natasha spoke quietly to Steve but Scarlett heard her.

"I am faithful to HYDRA. My own parents didn't want me. HYDRA gave me reason to live."

"Are you getting anything from her, Wanda?" Bruce asked.

"Depends on what you want and how bad you want it." Wanda looked over to him, biting her lip briefly before speaking again. "She has memories that she's stowed away from when she was young, memories of who I assume to be her mother. There's no father in any of her memories."

Scarlett suddenly shot up in her chair, ready to cross the table and fight the Scarlet Witch. She pulled against the cuffs chained to the table. Her nostrils flared as she stared at Wanda with a stone cold gaze that could kill.

"I will _end_ you if you read my mind even a little bit."

Wanda tried to not look effected by Scarlett's threat but it was a little hard considering Scarlett was a skilled assassin with the reputation of effortlessly ending lives of anyone who crossed her the wrong way.

"You won't touch her." Steve assured Scarlett, Wanda, and even Pietro. Steve knew Wanda's brother was anxious too. The Quicksilver didn't want anything to happen to his sister. "But if you work with us and answer our questions, she won't read your mind."

Scarlett gritted her teeth together for a few moments, sitting down slowly in her chair. Then out of seemingly nowhere, she let out a dry laugh and shook her head.

"Why don't you just kill me? I mean, that'd be so much easier for me than telling you what you want." Scarlett leaned her head down to scratch her brow.

"She's right, Steve." Bucky murmured gently. "If she tells us anything and HYDRA finds out, the best thing that'll happen to her is death."

"You were the one who wanted to bring her here, Buck." Steve looked over to his best friend. "What did you want to do with her?"

Bucky shook his head, running his fingers through her hair.

"I want.... I want to talk to her."

"No way." Steve shook his head instantly. "You aren't getting any closer than this right here. I don't trust her."

"I trained her, Rogers. I can handle her."

"I stabbed you three times." Scarlett smiled happily, though the smile was twisted and made Bucky uneasy.

"Four." Sam corrected, earning a sharp glare from Bucky. "What? She stabbed you four times. I was just fixing her mistake."

Bucky brought his eyes back to Steve and watched him for a few moments.

"Let me talk to her, Steve. I got it."

The Captain looked to Scarlett before nodding his head.

"Let's go."

Scarlett watched as the Avengers left, even waving her fingers to Thor as he made his way through the door. Bucky sat down a few seats away from Scarlett. Her eyes met his and she pursed her lips.

"So.... what? Are we having a heart to heart? Do you want to tell me about your newly found feelings? Oh, oh! I got it! We can—,"

"How about you stop talking to me like I'm stupid?" Bucky's voice was harsh as he spoke to her. "You know what HYDRA did to me. I know you aren't heartless or apathetic like you try to come off."

"You don't know shit about me, Soldier. Don't act like you do."

Bucky looked away from her for a second, trying to get his thoughts into words.

"I think.... I mean...." He paused, running a hand over his mouth. "The first time I met you, you were really young."

"I was twelve." Scarlett looked away from him, examining the room she was in. The walls were steel and had no decorations or anything to make the room feel welcoming. "Pierce, Karpov, and a few others were there. You easily took me down and didn't even bother to tone down the kill mode. You broke my arm for the first time that day." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I didn't-I'm sorry." The words were hard to get from the Winter Soldier but he forced them out, not meeting her gaze. "I-If I would've had control over my own actions, I would've never done half the shit I did to you. You were just a kid."

Scarlett said nothing, her eyes on the cuffs around her wrists.

"Do you know what they did to me, Scarlett?"

"I do." She nodded her head, flicking her dark hair out of her eyes. "But HYDRA does what it does with good intentions."

"Killing people—no matter the reason—is never with good intentions! Look me in the eyes and tell me you are with them one hundred percent."

Scarlett looked him in the eyes but didn't speak for a few long heartbeats.

"You don't know me, Soldier. I've changed since we had our last training session. I don't get _soft_ anymore."

Bucky leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his scruffy jaw. He was ready to leave. His blood pressure was rising and his heart was thumping in his chest. He didn't like talking to her but he knew she was just another one of HYDRA's pawns on the chess board. She was being manipulated and used, just like he had been.

"If you don't willingly talk to me, Wanda's going to come in here and find the answers to whatever it is they want."

"You know HYDRA protocol, Soldier. I speak and I may as well kill myself." Scarlett spoke solemnly, looking up to him through dark lashes.

"You've been captured by HYDRA's number one enemy." Bucky crossed his arms. "You know what that means you're suppose to do."

"If I had a gun, I'd surely take myself out."

"You don't have a cyanide pill like everyone else?"

"Nope. Suppose to eat a bullet. Why the hell am I even talking to you?" Scarlett put her head down on the table. She needed to think of a plan and fast.

Bucky was quiet for a few moments. Not many agents were given the order to shoot themselves if captured by the enemy. Cyanide pills were practically standard procedure. What made her so special?

"So you remember your mother?"

Scarlett lifted her head up, meeting Bucky's gaze for a solid two seconds before pulling at her cuffs. Just as she was beginning to cause cuts on her wrists with the metal, the Tower trembled. Scarlett froze, her eyes instantly finding the door.

"How long have you had me here?" Her eyes met Bucky's.

"A little less than a day."

A smirk pulled at her lips as she crossed her knees and leaned back comfortably in her chair. She hadn't checked in with HYDRA yet and it had been two days since her mission started.

"What's happening?" Bucky asked her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"My ride's here."

"Shit." Bucky jumped to his feet just as the door busted open. He picked up the chair he was in and launched it at the agents coming into the room.

Scarlett hastily worked on getting out of her cuffs while Bucky fought the agents. She managed to make the cuffs slick with her own blood and slip out of them.

———

Scarlett sat in front of Takahashi's desk, her hands cuffed together in her lap. The only reason they weren't cuffed to the chair was because there were four heavily armed agents in the room. She held her head high, unfazed by having to face the consequences of a failed mission.

"What's our number one rule when it comes to being captured by enemies?" Takahashi twirled a throwing knife between his fingers as he spoke. His feet were up on his desk and his suit jacket rested on the back of his chair. He was all too casual with the way he spoke which made Scarlett even more guarded.

"Eliminate the chance of the enemy gaining information on HYDRA." Scarlett answered in a monotone.

"You didn't follow through with your mission, allowed the Avengers to capture you alive, and put HYDRA at risk." With a burst of anger, Takahashi stabbed his desk, leaving the throwing knife sticking up in the wooden desk. A knock on the door prevented him from speaking anymore. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Come in, Agent Rumlow."

Scarlett bit down on her tongue. Takahashi was going to ensure she didn't make the same mistake again. Brock Rumlow had a history of being HYDRA's most effective agent for getting answers out of anyone. His methods were extreme and even worked on agents trained to endure pain.

"Thank you for joining us, agent. Take her to Sub Zero."

"My pleasure, boss." Rumlow smirked at Scarlett when their eyes met. He took a rough hold on her arm and hauled her to her feet.

"I can walk on my own, dipshit." Scarlett growled.

"Yes, ma'am." Rumlow let her go then twirled his finger in the air above his head. "Let's move out, fellas." He spoke directly to the group of men who would be assisting in the procedure. Their main purpose was to make sure Scarlett didn't kill Rumlow.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Scarlett spoke over her shoulder to Rumlow, who was walking behind her. He didn't trust her enough to walk beside or in front of her. "I'm kinda sad he couldn't join our little session."

She was speaking of Jack Rollins, Rumlow's second-in-command. He was usually found right next to Rumlow. However today he wasn't with the group that would keep Rumlow safe from Scarlett.

"That mouth's gonna get you in even more trouble, Scarface."

"Don't call me that." She growled over her shoulder at him.


	4. Four

"Come on, Scarlett! You're holding back!"

Takahashi watched Scarlett's sparring session with a fellow agent from afar. Since she was brought back to the facility in Tokyo, Scarlett had been suspended from any and all field-related missions until she could prove she was ready to go back into the field. It was a punishment she knew wouldn't usually be given to her because she was always every superior's favorite. Takashi didn't like her attitude and wanted to teach her a lesson.

"You're holding the handle too close to the blade."

"I know how to hold a knife!" Scarlett spat. She was dodging and blocking attempted blows to her chest and torso. The agent working with her was wielding two knives while Scarlett had one.

"Only bad leaders are unable to control their agents, Reo."

Takahashi turned to the source the voice came from. Alexander Pierce was standing by the doorway of the training room with a dozen agents behind him.

"Mr. Pierce, sir." Takahashi straightened his posture at the sight of the elder leader of HYDRA. "I wasn't informed that you would be coming today."

"It was a last minute decision. I've heard from a handful of agents that Scarlett continues to give you difficulty and undermine you—even in your position of power." Pierce moved towards Takahashi with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I'm working on it, sir. She's been suspended and has training sessions every day for eleven hours."

"She will kill that agent with his own knife." Pierce stated matter-of-factly. "She's trained for knife fights since she was a child, long before Agent Morris ever thought of picking one up."

"Agent Morris is the best trainer we have, sir."

Pierce hummed, turning to face Scarlett. She was across the room, still sparring a seemingly never ending fight with Agent Morris.

"She is one of my most trusted and efficient agents, Reo. In the last three years, we've lost many good agents. Great leaders deserve the respect of their agents, but they have to earn it. You might have been given this position but you have to prove to her that you are a leader worth dying for."

Pierce took a second to watch Scarlett pin Agent Morris to the mat with one knee on the center of his back and his arm pulled back.

"She knows a good leader when she sees one."

"I have done all I can to reprimand her, sir, everything short of potentially killing her. Agent Rumlow—,"

"Agent Rumlow agrees that you aren't delivering to HYDRA." Pierce raised his brows as he looked back to the HYDRA leader. "You can beat her like a dog, Reo, and she will still be defiant because of your lack in leadership skills. More agents have died in the past three months under your control than I lost in two decades. We aren't multiplying fast enough for you to be wasting away valuable resources like that." He paused to look back to Scarlett. She was now on her feet and fighting Agent Morris again. "If it weren't for her background, she would be the best leader we've ever seen."

Takahashi was silent, his eyes glaring coldly at Scarlett. He envied the adoration everyone seemed to have for the monster of a woman.

"She is not loyal to HYDRA anymore, sir."

Pierce ignored Takahashi for a few seconds and instead, focused on the fight. Agent Morris was trying to get her riled up. She was losing her patience with him and growing angry. He continued to yell at her in an attempt to make her fight harder. Little did he know that she was purposefully holding back. She was trying not to kill him.

"You're weak, Scarlett! Give me all you've got! You hit like a woman! You're acting like a little hurt bitch, Scarlett! I've seen kids hit better than this!"

"He's going to regret his words." Pierce mumbled. "She doesn't react well to being called names."

Scarlett's anger took over and her punches became harder. Within three seconds, she had her hand around Agent Morris's wrist. The blade in his hand trembled. She pushed his wrist back towards him, thrusting the knife into Agent Morris's carotid. Blood spurted from the lethal wound. Morris choked on his own blood for a few seconds before his body hit the floor. Scarlett's shoulders rose and fell heavily with her breathing. Adrenaline buzzed in her veins and made her fingers tingly. She was itching to fight more. Her anger was still roaring inside like a wildfire.

Scarlett took a few deep breaths, something one of the HYDRA therapists told her to do when she felt angry and out of control. It never worked but she did it anyways.

"I've got some news for you, Morris." She spoke quietly as she knelt down by his body and wiped the bloody knife blade on his sleeve. "I am a bitch."

"I see you still need to work on that anger." Pierce spoke loud enough for Scarlett to hear him. Her head snapped in the direction of Pierce and her eyes widened.

"Mr. Pierce, sir." She slowly stood to her full height and began to take hesitant steps towards him. He was suppose to be dead.

"I came to talk to Takahashi about his problem with you."

Scarlett swallowed the softball sized lump in her throat.

"Word went around that you died." She moved closer to him, causing the agents behind Pierce to move towards their boss.

"Stand down, agents." Pierce waved them off. "Takahashi here tells me you are no longer loyal to HYDRA."

"Mr. Takahashi is confused, sir. I am loyal to HYDRA, just not him." Scarlett sent a brief glare to Takahashi before returning her gaze to Pierce.

"And why is that? Why aren't you loyal to a Head of HYDRA?" Pierce questioned.

"He is bad at making decisions and looking into the future when he does make decisions. He might have HYDRA's best interests in mind, sir, but he doesn't act on it in the proper way."

"How is that?"

Scarlett paused for a brief moment to think before she answered.

"Last week he sent a squad to intercept a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. The agents were targeting one of our abandoned facilities in Libya. Takahashi ordered that our agents attack once they were inside the facility, which resulted in the death of three of our agents and the capture of four."

"How would you have gone about the mission?"

"I would have ordered our agents to wait along one of the secluded roads to the facility and have them attack S.H.I.E.L.D. in their vehicles when they were vulnerable."

"Good answer." Pierce nodded his head softly. He pulled a gun out of his suit jacket and slid the safety off. Takahashi shifted in his spot while Scarlett watched Pierce carefully. "I want you to prove your loyalty to HYDRA, Agent Rose." Pierce handed her the gun. "Shoot yourself in the head."

Scarlett stared at the gun for a few breathtaking heartbeats before taking the weapon. _For HYDRA_. _For the only home I've ever had_. Without missing a step, she put the barrel of the gun up to her temple.

"Hail HYDRA." She uttered the words, her eyes locked on Pierce's.

"Hail HYDRA." He nodded his head once.

Scarlett pulled the trigger. The gun clicked. Nothing happened. She pulled the trigger again but had the same result.

"Put the gun down, Agent Rose." Pierce ordered, then turned to Takahashi with a satisfied smirk on his lips. "She is loyal to HYDRA, Reo."

"My mistake, sir." Takahashi muttered. Scarlett handed the gun back to Pierce, her hands gripping together in tight fists behind her back. Her heart was thumping, echoing loudly in her ears. She felt a little sick too. But this was neccasary. She had to be willing to execute herself if it was for the good of HYDRA.

"Get someone to clean up that mess, Reo." Pierce nodded in the direction of the dead HYDRA agent. "Go clean the blood off of yourself, Scarlett, and then I want you in Takahashi's office. I have a mission for you."

"Yes, sir."

———

After changing her clothes and cleaning the blood from her face, Scarlett made her way to Takahashi's office. She knocked on the door three times and then placed her hands behind her back, her eyes focusing on the door knob. The door opened, revealing Takahashi. Scarlett brushed past him, her eyes gliding around the office. Six agents were standing in the office and Pierce sat in the chair in front of Takahashi's desk.

"You're familiar with our Italian facility, Agent Rose?" Pierce asked her.

"Yes, sir." Scarlett nodded her head, keeping her voice even. She had trained at the Italian facility for a few years when she was younger. "It's been shut down for years as far as I know."

"You are correct. I have a mission right here for you." Pierce handed her a file that had been sitting on Takahashi's desk. "Any questions?"

Scarlett took the file and glanced through it.

"No, sir. I believe I've got all I need in here." She replied, tapping her fingers against the file.

"Great. Report back in three days."

"Yes, sir." Scarkett turned and began to leave when Pierce spoke again.

"Scarlett?"

She turned on her heels to face him.

"If you fail this mission you'll face fitting consequences, Agent Rose."

"I understand, sir." She spoke over her shoulder before pulling the door open.


	5. Five

"Keep your eyes open. If any of you find that file, tell me immediately." Scarlett ordered the team of a dozen HYDRA operatives. "Move out."

The location of the mission was in a little town just outside of Rome in an abandoned HYDRA facility that had been left to rot for the last decade. Scarlett tried to ignore the churning, nauseating feeling her stomach was producing. She remembered very few but extremely vivid memories of this facility. It made chills erupt over her skin and gave her the urge to run fast and run far. Her training began here.

With her pistol pointed down and a flashlight in hand, Scarlett peered into a few windows before continuing down the hallway. The folder Takahashi had given her contained possible locations of the file he wanted. All of those locations were in the facility she was currently in, but all of them were on different floors and in opposite sides of the facility. That was why Scarlett decided to split the entire team up.

One of the locations was a Dr. Blake Adams' office. Scarlett was heading straight for that office. The name of the doctor rung bells in Scarlett's head, however she wasn't able to place a face with the name.

Scarlett pushed the door to the office open, accidentally pushing it off of its hinges. The door hit the floor with an echoing thud and dust flew into the air. She stepped in, her boots making quiet noises against the floor. Her eyes found a desk in the back corner of the office.

Searching through the paper files proved to be easier said than done. She was looking for a file titled Project Recluse in Italian. With her flashlight in her mouth and her gun in one hand, Scarlett used her free hand to shuffle through paper after paper.

"Looks like the wall behind you is reenforced, Rose."

"Safe?" She raised her brow, talking even with the flashlight in her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the wall.

"More than likely."

"You know Dr. Adams was about to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. about HYDRA, right?"

"Shut up, Martinez. That's just a rumor."

"She was a S.H.I.E.L.D. sleeper." Scarlett mumbled to herself as she took the flashlight out of her mouth and tried to look around for something that would tell her there was a safe behind the wall.

"I've been compromised."

"It's the Avengers."

"Shit."

"Don't move." Bucky ordered. Scarlett silently cursed. She should've been able to hear him. She turned on her heels to face the man.

"Are you going to shoot me, Soldier?" She challenged, quirking one brow up as she tapped her nails against her gun by her side.

"I will if you keep calling me that."

"Barnes!"

Bucky immediately ducked. Scarlett watched as an arrow flew at an almost impossible speed towards her. She dodged it just as it was about to hit her head. The arrow hit the wall.

"Nice try, Robin Hood." She smirked arrogantly at the Hawkeye.

A clicking noise behind her caused Scarlett's instincts to take over. The arrow was explosive. She tried to get away but the arrow exploded, creating a large hole in the wall. Chunks of ceiling even began to fall. Clint threw a book that was on the floor at Scarlett's feet. As she was trying to run away, she fell to the floor with no time to get to her feet again before a relatively large piece of ceiling fell down on Scarlett, trapping her leg underneath it. Not even a heartbeat after the dust and smoke began to clear, Scarlett was doing her damnedest to get free. She used her free leg to push against the chunk of cement in an attempt to get her trapped, and more than likely broken, leg free.

"You're going to hurt yourself." Bucky told her. She spat something in a mix of Russian and Italian at him before continuing to try to push the heavy objects off of herself.

"I got her." Clint told Bucky, stepping around the ex-HYDRA affiliate to get to Scarlett. The Hawkeye took out an electrocuting arrow. When the tip of the arrow touched her arm, Scarlett immediately seized up and collapsed to the floor.

"Damn, Barton. How heavy is that thing?" Bucky moved closer to Scarlett to pick her up. She was out cold.

"Heavy enough." Clint scratched the side of his nose as he exited the room. "We got her, Cap."

———

"How far out is Nat?" Clint asked Steve.

"Just a little under ten minutes." The Captain sighed out gently as he looked up from his phone. "She's been awake for a while. Does anyone want to go in an talk to her? Maybe try to get some of her past out of her?"

"You know very well she won't talk to us, Cap." Tony shook his head.

"Then make her talk." Steve's eyes flickered over to Wanda. "Go in there with Buck and get whatever you can out of her without force."

Wanda nodded her head and looked over to the Winter Soldier. Bucky was staring into the room Scarlett was in.

"Bucky?" Wanda said his name softly. He turned his head, brows raised. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He nodded his head, rubbing his eyes with his right hand. "Just hate how I can't.... how I can't put my memories together. It's like a puzzle with pieces that don't fit."

"I could try to help you remember." Wanda suggested. "Though I can't promise that it won't hurt."

"I'm fine. Let's go."

———

Scarlett straightened up as Bucky and Wanda entered the room. She rolled her eyes at the sight of the Winter Soldier.

"Why the hell am I here, Soldier?" She snapped, tugging at the cuffs around her wrists. "Why am I not in some secluded S.H.I.E.L.D. facility being held prisoner?"

"Because we want information from you." Bucky answered bluntly.

"Who is the woman you keep thinking of when you see Natasha, Scarlett?" Wanda asked her. The Witch's tone was gentler and softer than Bucky's.

"None of your damn business." Scarlett seethed. "Stay out of my head!"

"Just answer a few questions for us, kid." Bucky sighed out, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "You said you grew up in HYDRA."

"Yeah. Yes. It's all I know, the only people who've ever claimed me as theirs." Scarlett put her head back, showing just how bored and irritated she was with this little interrogation.

"The redheaded woman you have dreams about, who is she?" Wanda repeated her question. "Is she your mother?"

"I don't know." Scarlett spoke through clenched teeth, the subject obviously hitting a sensitive spot.

"She used to sing to you, didn't she?"

"Get out of my head!" Scarlett growled, standing up and jerking against the cuffs as hard as she could. She had to put all of her weight on to her leg that wasn't broken.

"She needs a sedative." Bucky spoke quickly before leaving. He entered the lab just a few doors down and made his way towards Bruce. "She's never going to stop fighting. She needs a sedative, something to calm her down. They used to use them on her when she'd get worked up after training or big missions. It was the only way to calm her down so she wouldn't kill everyone around her."

"Tell me again why we put ourselves in these kinds of situation." Bruce mumbled under his breath as he moved around.

"Romanoff just landed." Steve told Clint. "You want to go see how she is?"

"Are you chicken?" Clint raised a brow. He wanted someone else to go check on the assassin. She had a bad habit of becoming hostile when she was in a foul mood and Clint didn't want to be the one to get hit–or stabbed–for trying to help.

"I've got to stay here and make sure the crazy girl in there doesn't get loose." Steve held his hands up innocently. "I mean, if you want to babysit Scarlett—,"

"I'll take my chances with Nat." Clint cut him off quickly. "Wish me luck."

"Maybe he needs a sedative for Nat too." Tony suggested.

"She'd kill you for trying to sedate her." Bruce shook his head.

———

Flashback   
1 Day Ago

"Do you have the blood tests back yet, Banner?" Steve asked as he, Natasha, and Clint exited the elevator together.

"Yeah. They're right over there on my laptop. I haven't gotten a chance to look at it yet."

"Friday? What are the results of the test?" Tony questioned, popping a handful of chocolate covered peanuts into his mouth.

"An analysis on the blood revealed levels of altered DNA similar to Captain Steven Rogers and Sergeant James Barnes."

"What does that mean?" Clint crinkled his brows together.

"She's enhanced." Bucky and Steve spoke at the same time.

"What about the familial search, Friday?" Tony spoke through a mouthful of food.

"There was a maternal match found: Natasha Romanoff."

The Avengers in the room instantly looked to Natasha, whose jaw had just dropped.

"There's no way...." She whispered.

"Do you have any kids?"

Natasha's eyes locked with Bruce after he finished his question. The scientist began to backtrack.

"I-I didn't mean it! It was just—,"

"Nat?" Clint said her name softly. She blinked a few times and shook her head. "Natasha, you don't have any family. You told me before you tried to search for them but they were dead."

"I need to go." Natasha turned and hastily made her way for the elevator.

"Natasha! Wait!" Steve called for her. "We need to talk this out—,"

The elevator doors shut on Steve as he was trying to get across to Natasha. Steve sighed out as he turned back to the team. His eyes found the tablet that he had been watching Scarlett through.

"Barton, try to get ahold of her and see what's going on. The rest of us need to find out whatever we can about Scarlett."

End of Flashback


	6. Six

"This is insane." Bruce mumbled as he looked at the image of what was suppose to be Scarlett's broken fibula and cracked femur. Instead, the image was of a mostly healed leg. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to walk without a boot or crutches for weeks, months even. If Bruce didn't know any better, he'd say that she didn't break get leg in that same day. It was healed to much. He had just went in to give her a sedative and taken an X-Ray of her leg while she was unconscious.

Since finding out that she was some how related to the HYDRA agent, Natasha disappeared without so much as a heads up to when she'd be back So Bruce couldn't even ask her questions

"She's a quick healer." Tony commented. "Enhanced, no doubt. Probably the result of their experiments."

"She's got some freaky, badass looking scars." Rhodey stood by the table with his arms crossed. A tablet sat on the table in front of him with video footage of Scarlett in an interrogation room.

"Looks like someone got her with their nails." Pietro said. He was talking about the three scars that trailed down her left jaw and the side of her neck.

"That one's from one of the kids in her class." Bucky mumbled, his fingers to his lips. Steve looked at his best friend, his brows crinkled together. "They made the kids fight to the death. One of the girls Scarlett was trained with did that to her."

"How many kids were in her class?" Wanda's voice was quiet and hesitant. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer to the question.

"Twenty-six."

"How many crazy as hell assassins made it out of there?" Sam asked.

"Just one." Bucky stood up, his hands gripping in tight fists by his sides. He needed to move.

———

While the rest of the Avengers discussed Scarlett, Clint went to talk to Natasha. Friday told him that she was in her room. The Hawkeye hesitantly approached his best friend's bedroom. The door was left open, which was something Natasha didn't do.

Clint hesitantly knocked on the open door, his eyes instantly finding Natasha near the wall of windows.

"Nat? Hey. Everyone.... We're all worried about you." His voice was quiet and hesitant.

"I'm fine." Her voice was flat and lacking any emotion.

"Okay. Where.... did you go for two days?"

Natasha was silent for a long period of time. Clint knew he couldn't force her to talk. He had to wait for her to be willing to speak with him. So Clint leaned against the doorway to her room, trying to think of what could be wrong with Natasha. After nearly ten minutes of pure silence, she moved to sit on the edge of her bed with something in her hands.

"I was young.... still in the Red Room when I had her." Natasha's voice was barely audible. Clint had to read her lips to be able to know what she was saying. "She was beautiful and perfect."

Natasha held the item in her hand out for Clint. It was a picture. He crossed the room and took the picture from her. It wasn't just any picture, it was an ultrasound image.

"Tasha, why didn't you tell me?" Clint asked quietly, moving to sit on the bed next to her. Natasha shook her head, brushing a few tears from her cheeks.

"I never told anyone. It.... It was my secret.... my burden." Natasha took the picture from him. "She was.... Her name was Rosalie Grace." A soft but heartbreaking smile crossed her lips. "She had the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen and her smile just.... You would've loved her, Clint. She was always smiling.... always happy."

"What happened to her?" Clint asked hesitantly. Natasha shook her head gently, her brows drawing together.

"I-I took her to Rome. We stayed there for almost three years.... She was just a baby when I had to give her up. The Red Room was searching nonstop for me. I couldn't let them get her, Clint. I-I never wanted her to have the life I had." Natasha paused for a moment, looking up from the ultrasound image. "I left her with a family that would take care of her. They wanted a baby and she was.... she was the perfect baby for them. They deserved her."

"And you went back to the Red Room?"

Natasha nodded her head, wiping tears from her cheeks again.

"I went back to them and.... and she stayed with the family. I kept tabs on her, Clint. She never should've gotten into HYDRA's hands."

Clint's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying.

"Scarlett is your daughter?"

"I never wanted this for her, Clint." Natasha stood up and went back to the window. "They took her. I-I don't-I don't know how they got her but they turned her into me."

"She can come back just like you did, Nat." Clint reminded her. "She's younger than you were when I found you. She can change. You just have to be willing to tell her who you are."

Natasha bit her bottom lip, eyes glued on her reflection in the glass window.

"Who's her dad, Nat?"

She closed her eyes, her thoughts flipping to the memories she had with her daughter. The Widow softly shook her head.

———

Scarlett straightened her posture as the door to the room opened. It was Natasha.

"I was beginning to think you guys forgot about me."

Natasha didn't make eye contact while she crossed the room, something Scarlett found odd.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What do you know about your family?"

"About as much as I want to know." She replied, rolling her head from one side to the other. Natasha nodded her head gently then reached into her pocket to take out the folded ultrasound. She placed it on the table and slid it across to Scarlett.

"I had a daughter twenty-three years ago. I left the Red Room for a few years to raise her. She was a gorgeous little ball of sunshine."

Scarlett crinkled her brows together and shifted in her seat. Why was Natasha telling her this? Was this some kind of new interrogation technique she'd never heard of?

"I took her to Rome. We lived in a little one room place with a beautiful view of the Tyrrhenian Sea." Natasha paused for a moment, took a steady breath in, and then continued. "Her name was Rosalie Grace. And.... And I had to leave her to keep her safe. I gave her to a family full of love."

"Why do I need to know about this?"

Natasha forced her emotions down and brought her eyes up to meet Scarlett's.

"She was taken by HYDRA at a young age—,"

"No!" Scarlett instantly cut her off. She wasn't going to sit here and listen to the Black Widow talk like this. She was taking advantage of her knowledge about Scarlett and her feelings towards her parents. "You're lying." Scarlett spoke through tightly clenched teeth. "My mother.... You're lying!"

"I took you to Rome. Italian is your first language, Russian is your second." Natasha's hands were trembling and her heart was racing uncontrollably. It took everything the Black Widow had to reveal these secrets out loud. She felt so vulnerable and weak. "There's a birthmark on your wrist–on my daughter's wrist–shaped like Ireland."

Scarlett put her fingers over the birthmark under her thumb. She never showed the mark to anyone. On missions, she kept it covered so no one would be able to identify her.

"Rosalie Grace. I always called her my Little Rose." Natasha's voice cracked and a few tears escaped her eyes. Scarlett was gritting her teeth together so hard that her jaw was beginning to hurt. She could remember the name _Little Rose_. A familiar yet unknown voice always said that name in dreams. This had to be her long lost mother, a person she never wanted to see. Scarlett told herself over and over again that if she did ever meet her biological parents, she'd kill them for what they put her through. But now, Scarlett wasn't sure what she was going to do.

"You gave me up to HYDRA."

A spark of relief flooded Natasha's eyes for a moment before she shook her head.

"No, no. When I made the decision to-to give you to someone else, I made sure you were with a family that would love you and be able to give you everything that I couldn't."

Out of seemingly nowhere, Scarlett slammed her fists down on the table and jumped to her feet in the same instant, ignoring the pain that filled her hands. Her wrists were sore and rubbed raw from Scarlett struggling against her handcuffs. When Scarlett hit her fists on the table, Natasha didn't jump. She just kept her eyes locked on her daughter's.

"Then how the hell did I end up this way!"

Natasha saw the anger and pain swarming Scarlett's bright blue eyes. It made her want to vomit. She couldn't keep her only daughter from following in her footsteps.

"I am willing to take the blame." Her voice was meek and hesitant. "I never wanted you to become what I am."

Scarlett slowly began to sit down, her hands sliding into her lap and fingers curling into tight fists.

"I'm not you. I'm worse."


	7. Seven

Natasha had to leave to give herself and Scarlett space.

"She hates HYDRA." Natasha spoke as she entered the conference room. The Avengers were silent. All of them were to afraid to make any comment or even to breathe the wrong way. "Don't walk on eggshells around me, guys. I don't want special treatment."

Steve nodded his head and looked down to the screen Scarlett was on.

"She's angry about being in HYDRA."

"Do you blame her?" Bruce said quietly.

"No but that doesn't mean she should feel obligated to serve them." Clint gently shook his head.

"They've given her a home." Tony stood up from the table. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I mean, it was a shitty one but she doesn't know anything outside of them. They gave her structure and order."

"Why doesn't Barnes feel that way?" Sam nodded to Bucky, who was staring intently at Scarlett.

"She was with them since she was a kid. Barnes wasn't." Bruce answered. "And they had to erase his memories to make him compliant. With her, she learned at a young age what she was and wasn't suppose to do."

Silence fell around the room. Bucky stood up suddenly and left, the door slamming shut behind him. Natasha watched him with her fingers over her mouth. She couldn't let Scarlett know. If she did, the outcome could be deadly.

"I'll go check on him." Sam sighed out and pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll go, Sam." Steve shook his head. "You know how he likes to find a reason to kick your ass."

"I'm sure he'd like to try. Punk ass." Sam muttered under his breath.

———

Steve found Bucky on the top floor of the Tower on the balcony.

"How's the view?" Steve spoke from the doorway, his hands tucked into his pockets. Bucky shook his head. He was leaning against the railing, his eyes on the street below. "What's up with you, Buck? Is it something one of them said?"

"No." Bucky sighed out. "I-I can't.... Piecing together what I remember is fuckin brutal."

"I don't doubt it." Steve moved closer to stand a few feet away from Bucky. "Wanna talk?"

The Winter Soldier was silent for a few minutes. How would he word what he wanted to say?

"I have dreams sometimes that are about things I have trouble remembering. I've been.... I've been having dreams about Romanoff."

"What kind of dreams?"

"Kinda like the memories I have with Scarlett. Training and.... and blood."

"The Red Room was a Soviet thing. Do you think you know Romanoff from the Red Room?"

His blue eyes flickered up to meet Steve's. The Captain nodded his head softly. He understood his best friend's silent words.

"Talk to her about it."

"I.... I'm afraid to say something first. If I say it and it's wrong...." Bucky shook his hand, running his fingers through his hair.

"She'd understand if you ask."

Bucky nodded his head, eyes falling to his hands. Not remembering sucked.

———

_ One Week Later _

Scarlett absentmindedly tugged at the chains bounding her cuffed hands to the table. She was so tired of sitting. It made her anxious to not do anything. She was trained to always move. Staying still meant death. Over the past week, she had been silent, only giving the Avengers snide and sarcastic comments here and there.

She watched through her dark lashes as Natasha entered the room and made her way towards Scarlett.

"You've been with us for almost a week." Natasha leaned against the table beside Scarlett. "I'll take the cuffs off if you agree not to try to attack me or anyone else."

"I can't do that." Scarlett shook her head. "My fight overpowers flight. It's best to keep me in these things if you want your friends to live."

"Are you going to try to kill them?" One of Natasha's brows quirked up.

".... I don't think so...." Scarlett pursed her lips and squinted her eyes together in concentration. "No, I won't. Unless I have good reasoning."

The Black Widow nodded her head and moved to sit in the seat across from Scarlett. It wouldn't hurt to make hey keep the handcuffs on for a while longer.

"So I've been thinking and talking to the others.... And we want to know if you want to go back to HYDRA. And if not, you are more than welcomed to stay."

Scarlett's lips parted and she wanted to argue, to tell Natasha Romanoff that she was forever loyal and faithful to HYDRA. Till her last breath, Scarlett was suppose to serve HYDRA. However, she couldn't speak. They were offering her somewhere to stay—even after she stabbed and shot the Captain America and Winter Soldier?

"It will take some adapting on your part. Steve still doesn't trust you and none of us want to put Barnes in a potentially dangerous situation." Natasha explained, tapping her finger against her thigh under the table. "You will be under constant surveillance here until we can trust you."

"You.... Let me get this straight." Scarlett awkwardly chuckled. "You're willing to risk your lives just because you want to fix whatever shit happened between us? I shot Rogers and stabbed the Soldier multiple times!"

"I'm not trying to fix us." Natasha locked her jaw for a few heartbeats. "I just.... I want to fix you before you're too far gone."

"I'm not sick. You can't fix me."

"You're undying love for a terrorist group that tortures and murders innocent people is sick. They're a disease."

"I like the disease." She growled at the Widow. Her palms were flat against the table and her fingers curled, like she was trying to dig her nails into the steel.

The two stared each other down for what felt like centuries. Natasha refused to look away. She wasn't ready to give up on Scarlett. She had to just try harder. Scarlett, however, wouldn't look away because she wanted to show the red head that she wasn't afraid of her. She wasn't going to give up so easily.

"Are you sure you don't want to try with us?" Natasha offered. "If you return to HYDRA, you know what they'll do to you for failing a mission."

Scarlett leaned back in her seat and brushed her fingers along the chains of the handcuffs.

"I shot and stabbed two of your teammates."

"Have you actually seen our team?" The corner of Natasha's lips curled up just slightly. "We have an ex-Soviet assassin, an ex-HYDRA brainwashed assassin, two ex-HYDRA experiments slash Ultron groupies, and a career criminal. I think it's safe to say we have a thing for taking in people who should be enemies. Besides, you aren't the first to try to kill either of them."

Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek and looked away for a few moments.

"I want to know who my father is first."

Natasha held her breath. She should have expected this. This was an unavoidable question.

"That's a difficult question to answer."

"No, it's not. You either know who he is or you slept around so much that you don't know who he is."

"I know who he is." Natasha spoke quietly. "I just.... I can't tell you with eyes on us."

Scarlett crinkled her brows together, her eyes flickering up to the camera in the corner of the room.

"Why?"

Natasha shook her head gently and stood up, leaving the room without another word. As she was closing the door to the interrogation room, she felt someone too close behind her. The Widow spun around and held up a pistol to Bucky. He didn't move, his eyes darkened and set on Natasha. She lowered the gun that was pointed to his head and tucked it back in her jacket.

"What the hell are you doing, Barnes?" Natasha moved to walk away from him but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face him. She resisted, holding her hand up as she tried to pull away from him. Her eyes met his, her heart racing already. "Let me go, Bucky."

He let her go, clenching his hand into a tight fist by his side.

"You remember." It wasn't a question, more like an angry statement.

"Remember what?"

The simple question set Bucky off. He slammed her against the wall and pinned her there with his left arm over her chest.

"Don't treat me like that." He growled. "I know what happened with us."

Natasha didn't struggle against him. She only searched his eyes, evaluating the situation. He was only angry. He didn't want to hurt her. Sighing out softly, Natasha realized she couldn't hide any longer. She couldn't ignore the elephant in the room, even if she was the only one who knew it was there.

"What do you want from me?" She spoke quietly, her hand coming up to hold his arm where it was. He was pushing against her enough to make breathing uncomfortable.

"I want to know who her father is. You said you had her twenty-three years ago. That was around the time I started training you."

"What are you trying to say, Barnes?"

"Don't call me that." He whispered. "You never called me that."

Natasha looked down the hallway, avoiding his gaze for a few heartbeats. Bucky let her go and took a step away.

"You regret all of it, don't you?" He asked her quietly, his voice wavering as he watched her.

"No, James. I don't regret anything that happened between us." She whispered, her green eyes locking with his. "I-I just have to figure out what I'm going to do. This is a very delicate situation."

"Is she mine?"

Natasha was silent. That gave Bucky all that he needed. He ran a hand over his face, holding it on his mouth for a few minutes. He moved away from Natasha to walk a little ways down the hallway.

"James—,"

"Do you have any idea what I put her through when I was training her?" He cut her off, his voice straining to not yell. "I-I broke her—,"

"You didn't have control over yourself then, James. She'll understand, maybe not right away but eventually she will. She has to."

Bucky shook his head, chewing on his lip.

"Why did you never tell me? I've been out two years and.... and you kept this from me?"

"I've been trying to ignore it, James. I didn't want to make you remember something if you didn't." Natasha shook her head gently. "I didn't want to make your transition any harder."

He watched her for a few heartbeats before turning to leave.

"I'll tell her, but only if you want me to."

Bucky froze in his spot. His hands were clenched tightly by his side but his fingers unclenched as he tried to think of a reasonable way to handle the situation.

"Don't tell her." He spoke over his shoulder. "It'll only make things worse."

The Widow nodded her head, watching as he continued on down the hallway.

———

"Are you going to go back in there and try to talk to her?" Clint quietly spoke to Natasha. The two sat on a recliner in the top floor of the Tower. Clint sat on the arm of the chair while Natasha sat in the actual chair.

"Not today. We can get her room set up and maybe tomorrow will be better."

"Bingo!" Tony shot up on the couch, his phone held in one hand and an Xbox controller in the other.

"What?" Steve asked him, glancing up from the bar top.

"I finally managed to crack that tough-ass firewall on the hard drive we got a few days ago from the facility we found Scarlett in." Tony moved away from the sofa and went to the bar. "It's for something called Project Recluse."

"That was what was in Italian on the front of the file with all those empty papers and the drive." Bucky told him.

"What's Project Recluse about, Tony?" Bruce asked him.

"It's all in Italian and some Latin. I've got to translate it. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes but it's a pretty big file."

"Send it to my tablet in its original form, Tony." Natasha requested, leaning forward in the chair to retrieve her tablet from the coffee table. "I'll start reading it while you translate it for everyone else."

"Got it." Tony nodded his head.

"I remember seeing it before."

"What are you mumbling about, Barnes?" Sam asked the ex-HYDRA assassin. Bucky shook his head and stood up, moving towards the windows so he could think.

Pietro turned his head to his sister and leaned closer to her. He began to whisper to her in their mothertongue, Sokovian, his brows crinkled together in confusion. Wanda's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God."

"What?" Bruce lifted his head up from where he was reading something on his tablet.

"What's wrong, Wanda?" Steve asked her. Wanda's russet eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Project Recluse. We've heard of it before." She looked back to her brother, her hand falling to his knee. She said something in Sokovian again and he shook his head.

"Not all of us speak Sokovian, guys." Tony reminded them.

"I remember hearing about it one time." Pietro spoke. He was clearly hesitant on talking about the subject like he was afraid of something. "It was a long time ago, when we first joined them."

"There was an agent who was bragging about how he saw a file titled Project Recluse." Wanda said. "It was about crossing the genes of the Black Widow and Winter Soldier to create the ideal assassin."

Natasha remained still, her hands holding her tablet tightly. Her green eyes were glued to Wanda. Bucky's gaze fell on Natasha. She could feel him staring at her intently.

"Did the agent say anything else?" Clint asked.

"He mentioned Scarlett's name."

"That was the last we saw of that man." Pietro solemnly said. "I know HYDRA probably killed him for almost spilling one of their secrets."

"What does that mean?" Bruce crinkled his brows together. "That Scarlett is genetically engineered?"

"There's no way she's both Bucky's and Natasha's." Steve rubbed his jaw. "It had to be wrong, whatever that agent saw."

"Who's her dad, Romanoff?"

"Ask me so bluntly again about it, Tony, and I'll hurt you." Natasha answered with a friendly smile.

"Наташа." **{Natasha.}** Bucky said her name quietly. Natasha put her tablet down and stood up. Her heart was racing and she couldn't get it under control like she usually could. Did she want the entire team to know about her relationship with Bucky?

"Нет." **{No.}**

Bucky stood up and hastily went to the elevator.

"What's wrong, Natasha?" Steve asked her.

"Holy shit." Tony's eyes widened. "Scarlett isn't genetically engineered! Barnes is her father!"

"Stark, don't make accusations like that. It will only get you in trouble." Thor told him. "Remember New Years Eve last year?"

"That would explain why she has DNA closely linked to his and Steve's." Bruce nodded his head. His voice was quieter and less enthusiastic than Tony had been. "She's got the same serum in her that they do."

"Natasha, we aren't going to probe you or Bucky for answers, you know that." Steve told her, taking a few hesitant steps towards the Widow.

"She is his." She answered flatly, her arms crossed tight over her chest. "But she doesn't know."

"Is that why you didn't want to tell her while we were watching?"

"I don't think telling her is my best option right now." Natasha sighed out as she turned to face the Avengers. "She hates him with a burning passion and believes he should be held accountable for his actions. She doesn't understand—,"

"You're talking about her like she's still a kid, Natasha." Pietro cut her off. "She's an adult and she doesn't understand wrong from right. The problem is in her head."

"It's how she grew up, Pietro." Wanda shook her head gently. "She was raised in an environment where violence was praised."

"Then why aren't you guys like her?" Thor questioned the twins.

"We were raised by our parents until we were ten. Then we had each other." Wanda answered while his eyes remained on Pietro.

"It's just going to take time and patience to change her output on things. It's like.... taming a wild animal." Natasha took a steady deep breath, rubbing her arms absentmindedly. "Tony? How's her room coming along?"

"It's done. The only way to open the door is from the outside and it requires a handprint and retinal scan. If she even tries to open the door from the inside, I'll be notified immediately."

"Good." She nodded her head.


	8. Eight

"You've been in here for a while."

Bucky looked up to see Natasha standing by the door. He was sitting at a table in one of the many conference rooms in the Avengers Tower. A tablet was in front of him. He had been going through the Project Recluse file for the last two and a half hours.

Bucky only nodded his head lightly, returning his gaze to the tablet.

"I told them."

He was silent. Natasha tapped her fingers against her thigh.

"You're upset—,"

"Have you read through any of her file?" Bucky cut Natasha off, his voice firm and almost demanding. He didn't want to talk about his feelings. "I knew she'd been through hell but I had no idea...."

Natasha took slow steps towards the man. She was careful to read his body language. His shoulders were tense, his jaw locked, and his darkened eyes focused intently on the screen of the tablet.

"I haven't had a chance. I showed her to her room and talked to Wanda for a while."

"You haven't said her name since she's been here." Bucky looked up to the Black Widow.

"Scarlett isn't her name."

"She won't think so."

"What did you find in the file?" Natasha changed the subject.

"Just her history. Most of it is medical, but there's a very thorough analysis of her DNA. They studied her like an experiment."

Natasha pulled out the chair next to Bucky and sat down.

"What are the pictures of?" Natasha asked. Bucky was hesitant to answer her. His eyes flickered down to his left hand. She glanced over to him but pressed the button for photos anyways.

There were x-rays and images of Scarlett bruised up, evidence of the experiments, testing, and training she had endured.

"I did all of that."

"Don't blame—,"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't blame me for anything I did to you!" Bucky shouted, his left fist slamming down on the table. The wood splintered under his fist. "I-I nearly killed her every day we trained. I treated her like a grown man, but she was just a child."

"It wasn't your fault because if you were to have the choice, you wouldn't have done anything to hurt her or me." Natasha spoke calmly to him. His eyes flickered between both of hers before he stood up.

"I need some space."

Natasha watched as he left, then rubbed her face with one hand. She moved over into the seat he had been in and started to read the file from the top when the door opened. It was Clint.

"Haven't seen you in a while. Just wanted to check in."

The Widow nodded her head and tucked her feet under herself. She brushed a few pieces of dark red hair back out of her eyes and looked to the screen in front of her.

"I held her for hours and hours when she was a baby." The words were gentle whispers as she spoke. A sad smile came to her lips as she recalled the memories she had of her only child. "I-I sang to her. She always smiled the brightest when I sang to her. My little Rose."

"I couldn't image going through what you went through, Nat, but I'm here for you."

———

"I don't like answering questions." Scarlett said, her eyes flickering over to Natasha.

"We just want to do a little exercise to help us find out a few things about you." The Widow spoke.

"I'm not a child. Don't treat me like I am one. This is some sort of mental health evaluation." Scarlett glanced to Dr. Beckham. She was a psychologist and friend of Dr. Banner's. She sat across from Scarlett.

Through the one way mirror, the rest of the Avengers were watching the scene unfold.

"She had regular evaluations to keep track of her state of mind. She knows what they look like." Bucky explained. "I had them too. Mine were different, of course. But it was still for the same outcome."

"It seems like she wants to cooperate." Clint sat down in his chair after refilling his coffee.

"Don't jinx this, Barton." Steve sighed gently.

Inside the little interrogation room, Scarlett gripped the side of her chair tightly as she was asked the first question.

"What's the earliest memory you can think of, Scarlett?" Dr. Beckett asked.

Scarlett took her time to answer. Her hands gripped the sides of her chair to keep her leg still. She wanted to get up and pace around but she knew that it would make everyone uneasy and she'd be more likely to act out of she was on her feet.

"Someone singing to me." She avoided Natasha's gaze.

"Do you know who is singing to you?"

"My.... I don't know. A woman, maybe."

Natasha tried not to smile but she couldn't help it. Scarlett did remember something from her time with the Widow.

"What memory comes after that one, Scarlett?"

"Breaking my arm for the first time."

"And how did you manage to do that?"

"Training with older kids." Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek.

"How many bones have you broken, Scarlett?"

"Most of them."

Natasha could see how anxious Scarlett was getting and she could tell that Scarlett was getting frustrated with the questions. Natasha put her hand on Dr. Beckett's shoulder briefly before letting her hand fall to the side. This let the doctor know to change the subject.

"How long have you been staying here at the Tower, Scarlett?"

"Seven days, seven nights."

"Why don't you use the bed to sleep in instead of the floor? Surely the floor isn't comfortable."

Scarlett was silent. Her jaw was slack and her eyes were focused on the table in front of herself.

"Scarlett? Did you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a home within HYDRA? Like a physical home? An apartment? A house?"

"No."

"Where do you sleep when you're there?"

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders softly. She swallowed the lump in her throat and rubbed the back of her hand.

"I don't sleep but maybe an hour or two every day. I can do that on the sofa in my office."

"Why haven't you eaten anything in these past seven days, Scarlett?"

Her eyes flickered over to the doctor.

"I don't trust them."

"Do you think they're going to poison you?"

"If they were smart, they would."

"Do you trust anyone, Scarlett?"

She shook her head, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Do you trust yourself?"

Scarlett paused for a moment, thinking through the question, and she shook her head again.

"Growing up, who was your biggest role model?"

"I didn't have one."

"Not even someone you strived to be like? Someone you tried your hardest to resemble?"

Scarlett took a deep breath and shifted around in her seat.

"The Winter Soldier." She muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"The Winter Soldier." Scarlett's eyes flickered up to look at the doctor. "Or the Black Widow. I was trained to be as quiet and discreet as the Black Widow but as efficient and loyal as the Soldier. Are we almost done?"

"Are the questions making you anxious?"

"Quite frankly, they're making me want to jump across this table and choke you."

The doctor looked to Natasha, who nodded her head.

"I think we're finished for the day." The red head said.

"I hope you accomplished what you wanted because I don't see myself wanting to go through that again." Scarlett stood up as the doctor left the room.

"I appreciate your willingness to sit through this." Natasha's eyes left the door and met Scarlett's. "I know it's hard to tell someone about what you've been through."

"Don't act like you can relate to me, Romanoff. Just because you're my...." Scarlett trailed off, her shoulders squaring and her jaw locking. "You don't know what I've been through."

"I've read your file. I have an idea."

"My files were destroyed when S.H.I.E.L.D. started coming after us." Scarlett shook her head. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not. I can show you it if you'd like."

Scarlett hesitated to nod her head. She wanted to know what all they knew about her so that they couldn't use anything against her.

———

"Did you give her the part where I'm....?" Bucky trailed off, glancing over to Natasha. They sat alone in one of the conference rooms, watching Scarlett through their tablets.

"I didn't." She shook her head. "She has everything except for that."

"Do you think she'll ever be able to be at least half way normal?"

"You mean treated like a civilized human and not a deranged assassin? Yeah, eventually. She's already started to become more cooperative. It's just going to be a long process."

Bucky nodded his head and brought his attention back to the screen. Scarlett's fingers brushed over the text on one of the papers in front of her. Dark blue eyes flickered over to a picture and she picked it up.

"She looks concerned." Natasha commented.

"Knowing HYDRA, they've probably hidden some of the trauma they've put her through." Bucky mumbled. He wanted to go in there and talk to her but he knew that probably wasn't a smart choice. He was the last person in the universe that she would want to see.

The door to the room opened and Tony, Steve, Pietro, Wanda, and Bruce walked in. Tony carried a folder and sat down at the opposite end of the table that Bucky and Natasha were at.

"So I've managed to find a few different aliases she's gone by and I put together her wrap sheet." Tony sighed heavily as he opened the folder.

"She has a very impressive history." Bruce said. "And when I say impressive, I mean terrifying."

"Forty-two counts of first degree murder across six continents, sixteen counts of second degree murder, seven counts of aggravated arson, twenty-eight counts of aggravated battery, thirteen counts of assault with a deadly weapon. I mean the list goes on and on from petty larceny to hacking a business man to death in an alley in Paris." Tony pointed to the tablet in front of Natasha. "This psychopath shouldn't even be in my Tower."

"Her history is just as bad as mine, Stark." Bucky tried to stick up for Scarlett but his approach wasn't too thought out.

"You have a history with the great Captain, Sarge. You weren't a deranged killer from birth."

"I didn't raise her to be that way, Tony." Natasha spoke through clenched teeth. "She's still my daughter."

"Well no offense, Romanoff, but your daughter is insane."

"She was never given a chance to prove she could be a good person, Stark." Wanda intervened. "She shows the ability to work with Natasha in changing her ways. She deserves a chance."

Tony nodded his head and took a step away from the table.

"Alright. You guys are kinda right. But the second someone ends up dead in this Tower, she is gone."

"Agreed." Steve nodded his head, his eyes flickering to Natasha. The Widow didn't hesitate to nod her head. She could only try her best to help Scarlett.

———

Scarlett looked up to the door when it opened. Natasha stood in the doorway.

"Are you ready to go back to your room?"

"I want to take these." Scarlett shuffled all the papers into a pile and started to pick them up.

"That's fine. But I will have to put handcuffs on you."

The HYDRA assassin froze. Her eyes remained on the papers she was organizing. Her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch whatever had caught her eye. It was a photo of the Winter Soldier.

"What's wrong?" Natasha asked, taking hesitant steps towards her estranged daughter.

"Who is my father?" Scarlett whispered. Paperclipped to the photo of the Soldier was a piece of paper. She pulled the two apart and began to read the Italian on the page. Natasha became mildly aware of the change in Scarlett's demeanor. She was now rigid and appeared ready to fight. "Who is my father, Natasha?" Darkened green eyes met hers. Natasha realized she must've missed a paper with Bucky on it.

"Scarlett, you need to calm down before—,"

"I am." Bucky stood in the doorway of the room, behind Natasha. The Black Widow didn't take her eyes off of Scarlett. She wasn't sure of what the unstable woman would do.

An almost animalistic growl came from Scarlett before she darted towards her parents. Natasha braced herself, ready to restrain Scarlett without causing her any harm. She grabbed Scarlett's wrist as she was throwing a punch for Natasha's face and twisted Scarlett around so that her arm was pinned behind her back.

"Let me explain-—,"

"I don't want to hear what you have to say!" She screamed, cutting Bucky off. Her free hand reached around to grab a fistful of red hair. Bucky grabbed Scarlett's free arm and stopped her from ripping out Natasha's hair.

"Scarlett, I never would have put you through any of that if I had a say on what I did."

"Apologizes don't take away what you did to me!" Her voice cracked and her knees gave out. Scarlett fell to the floor, releasing Natasha's hair. Both Natasha and Bucky let her go so she hit the floor hard. When she didn't do anything, Bucky knelt down by her side. He checked for a pulse. It was weak but she was still alive.

"She's out, Nat." Bucky whispered, glancing up to the red head.


	9. Nine

Scarlett jolted awake, her eyes flying open. A bright light above her head blinded her and sent Scarlett into a panicked state. She tried to sit up, to move her hands and feet but it was no use. She was strapped to whatever uncomfortable thing she was laying on.

"Calm down. You aren't in danger."

"Says you." She grunted as she continued to writhe and move against the restraints. "Get that damn light out of my eyes."

The light was turned off, finally giving Scarlett the ability to see where she was. The room was set up like a lab and medical station. Looking down, Scarlett saw that a needle was in the back of her hand.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" She growled to Natasha.

"It's just to keep you hydrated. You haven't been eating since you got here."

"I won't die from it." She mumbled under her breath. "Take these damn things off of me."

"We can't do that, sweetheart." Tony spoke from a desk half way across the room. "Last time we tried to trust you _not_ to flip out, you attacked Romanoff."

"I don't understand you people!" She raised her voice, throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. "What do you want from me?"

"We want to know what you want, Scarlett." Steve answered her. "Do you truly believe that HYDRA is where you belong? Is that where you want to be?"

Scarlett locked her jaw and sent a brief glare to him.

"Are you willing to let us help you?" Natasha asked softly. "Growing out of what HYDRA has taught you will be a difficult process and it will require patience and discipline. It took me years to get out of some of the habits I was taught and some of them I still have to live with."

"You wouldn't help me if I wasn't your daughter." Scarlett wasn't happy. She disliked being chained to the uncomfortable bed even more than being handcuffed to a chair.

As she glared at her mother, something behind the redhead caught Scarlett's eyes. It was Bucky. She met his gaze just briefly before looking back to the ceiling and clenching her fists together tightly. Natasha could see her eyes getting glassy, like she was about to cry.

"Natasha." Wanda spoke in a hushed tone. "Let her sit up. She's not going to fight."

"That's what she wants you to think, Red." Tony shook his head.

"No, she's upset. She isn't going to fight. She needs to be alone right now. Processing this is difficult for her and having all of us in here to crowd her isn't helping."

Natasha looked back to the dark haired assassin on the bed. She let out a heavy breath before nodding her head.

"I'll take her to her room."

———

"If you need someone to talk to...." Natasha trailed off as she uncuffed Scarlett. Without a word, she entered her room and the door shut behind her. "Will she be okay, Wanda?"

"Eventually." Wanda nodded her head and started to walk back to the elevator with Natasha. "She was willing to cooperate and get to know you, maybe establish some sort of relationship. But with what the Winter Soldier did.... It's difficult for her to even look at Bucky, Natasha. She trained with him from a young age and he always showed no regard for her life. He was the monster she was afraid of as a child."

"But Bucky isn't like that. She'll understand eventually."

———

The Winter Soldier had been standing outside of Scarlett's door for well over ten minutes. Just after Natasha and Wanda left, he showed up. He wanted to talk to her, to try to get her to understand. But he wasn't sure how to.

"Scarlett? I.... I know I'm the last person you want to see–or hear–right now." Bucky started talking through the thick steel door. "I don't even know if you can hear me, Scarlett, but I wish I could take back every single thing that happened to you. I know-I know it's hard to even look at me.... I have the same issue looking in a mirror most of the time."

When she said nothing, Bucky ran his hand over his face.

"Scarlett, I want you to know that I am not the same guy you know. That guy you know–He's gone, hopefully for good. I want to try to make things better.... I know that's a lot to ask of you but I just–I don't know. There's a lot of things about me that you don't know. I mean, you might know but if you do, you're ignoring it. I was used just like you, Scarlett. They used me for what they needed and when they didn't need me, I was put into cryo. When you aren't being used to their disposal, you used to be locked in a small room with four concrete walls and no windows. Scarlett, I don't blame you for hating me, I just want to try to make things better."

He paused to see if she'd say something. When she was silent, he turned to leave.

"I don't like talking about this stuff." Her voice was quiet. "But I-I don't want to live that way anymore. They'll kill me without hesitation. I just don't-I don't know if I can do this."

"What do you mean?" Bucky moved to lean against the door, his eyes closed so he could hear better.

"I don't have the patience for any of this, for what Natasha was talking about. I have anger problems and they get so bad and I'm not good with emotions.... I don't think I can do this."

"We can work on anger management, Scarlett. Trust me, I had to do some of that and it is difficult but it's possible."

She fell silent again for a few moments.

"I know you didn't have control over what you did."

Hearing those words nearly made the man fall to the floor. He slowly sank down against the door and propped one hand up on his knee. Hearing that lifted the insanely heavy weight off of his chest. There was hope.

"I just can't change how I feel. I'm-It was a lot and I can't process all the feelings."

"I get that." Bucky nodded his head. She was so much like him. It would have made him happy if the reason that they were so alike wasn't because of their shared trauma.

"I think it's best for me to stay in here."

"Yeah.... I don't think anyone was planning on letting you out any time soon." Bucky heard something come from the other side of the door. It was soft and airy, almost like she laughed. "I've got to go, Scarlett. Do.... Do you need anything?"

"No."

———

Bucky was grinning brightly when he walked out of the elevator and into the living room.

"What's up with you?" Steve asked him.

"I talked to her, to Scarlett. She let me talk to her and it wasn't at all like I expected."

"What the hell were you doing opening that door and giving her the chance to kill your ass like she wants to?" Sam's eyes widened as he stared at the man.

"We talked through the door. She said she wants to try to get better but she knows it's going to take a lot. She's willing to do it."

"Are you sure she isn't trying to make you think that?" Tony raised his brows.

Bucky thought about it for a moment, the smile falling from his lips. That was a very big possibility. She was an excellent liar.

"Screw you, Stark." He muttered as he threw himself down on the sofa.

"Did she say anything else?" Natasha asked.

"She's willing to admit that she has an anger problem and she can't control her outbursts."

"Do we need to invest in some sort of psychologist like we did for you, Buck?" Steve didn't mean to but in on their conversation but he wanted to help as much as possible.

"I think a S.H.I.E.L.D. psych might be best for her, Steve." Natasha told him. "We need someone who won't turn us in to the Feds for anything that she tells them. A S.H.I.E.L.D. psych would understand a lot more than a civilian."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Bucky looked over to the Widow.

"Let me go make some calls." She stood up and left the living room.


	10. Ten

Natasha lingered outside of Scarlett's door. She had just finished making a couple calls when she decided to go and talk to Scarlett.

"Who's standing out there?" Scarlett spoke. Natasha didn't know how she was able to tell that someone was standing outside her bedroom door. The Widow had been silent.

"It's.... It's just me." Natasha spoke. "I wanted to check on you, to see if you were hungry or something."

"I'm fine."

Natasha nodded her head, her eyes flickering to the elevator just down the hall.

"Did he tell you I spoke to him?"

"Yes." The Widow answered quietly. She knew Scarlett was referring to Bucky. "He was very happy about it."

"I don't get it."

"What are you talking about, Scarlett?" Natasha leaned against the door with her head back and her eyes on the ceiling.

"If you want a chance at being parents, just have a kid. Try again. I-I'm not worth the trouble this is going to cause."

Natasha's green eyes glossed over with tears.

"I can't have kids anymore. And.... I don't want to adopt a baby just to bring them into this kind of life knowing that they couldn't take care of themself. I missed out on a lot with you, Scarlett, and I regret so much but what happened, happened and neither of us can change it."

"Do you really think I can change?"

"I know you can." A soft smile came to the redhead's lips. "I was just like you when I was your age and I like to think that I'm a better person now than I was then."

Scarlett was silent.

"The guys upstairs were talking about ordering a few pizzas. What kind do you like?"

".... Cheese."

Natasha smiled and nodded her head.

"I'll be back in a few."

———

Scarlett paced along the windows. She didn't like cooperating but she knew that it was either that or she could face HYDRA. There was no way she would be able to live as a functioning agent of theirs with the information she had learned. They clearly didn't want her to know of her parents and they did their best to make sure she remained in the dark. They were willing to lie to her.

Scarlett also didn't like how she was confined to a bedroom. However, she wouldn't complain about it. She wasn't strapped to a bed or a chair anymore and she had the ability to move around.

Her eyes flickered over to the desk on the opposite side of the room. On the desk were papers to her file. She began to move towards the desk when someone knocked on the door.

"It's me." Natasha spoke. "I'm going to open the door, okay?"

"Yeah." Scarlett went to the desk and shuffled through the papers.

"You've been busy." Natasha commented, nodding to the mess on the desk.

"Just trying to keep myself occupied." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. Natasha sat a plate of pizza down on the top of one of the dressers.

"You need clothes." She turned to her daughter. "Wanda and I are going to go out tomorrow and get you some. Are you more comfortable around men or women?"

"Neither. Why?" Scarlett didn't like the question Natasha had asked.

"To get through this process you'll need a psychologist."

"Hell no. I am not talking to a shrink." Scarlett shook her head. "Talking to you people is bad enough."

"It's something that you need, Scarlett. I had to have it and Bucky's still working through it." Natasha faced Scarlett. "I know it isn't fun and I know having people ask you questions goes against your nature. But it does help you get better."

Scarlett locked her jaw and shook her head still.

"It's not a good idea." She insisted. "It won't do me any good."

"How will you know if you don't try?" Natasha asked softly. She knew this would be one of the more difficult things to get Scarlett to do. It just took patience and determination from both sides.

"I've done it before. I killed the woman cause she hit the right spot."

The Black Widow nodded her head, looking over to the window as she shifted in her spot.

"What about talking to one through the door?" She suggested. "A psychologist can provide you with help that no one else in this Tower can. I swear it really helps with moving on and with day to day life."

Scarlett exhaled heavily through her nose and moved to the windows. She counted to ten on her head and then counted backwards. Her fingers tapped against her thigh.

"If you really think it will help."

A soft smile came to Natasha's lips. She nodded her head and took a step backwards towards the door.

"Thank you, Scarlett."

———

After spending nearly every minute of the next two days evaluating psychiatrist after psychiatrist, Natasha finally found one who she hoped would work for Scarlett's situation.

"Thank you so much, Doctor Lane." Natasha spoke quietly to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as they both left the elevator. "Is there anything I can get you before you start?"

"I have her history right here. I should be good." Dr. Lane smiled, shaking her head lightly. "Thank you, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha knocked lightly on Scarlett's door.

"Scarlett? Dr. Lane is here."

"Great." Scarlett didn't sound excited.

"Hello, Scarlett. I'm Dr. Erica Lane." She smiled to Natasha as the redhead went into the elevator and left. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine."

"Have you ever seen a counselor before, Scarlett?" Dr. Lane took a seat in the chair that had been placed outside of Scarlett's door.

"Yeah."

"And how did that go?"

"They're all dead."

Dr. Lane nodded her head and scribbled something down on her notepad.

"From your point of view, what is the problem? Why am I here today?"

"Because Natasha thinks this will help."

"Help with what?"

Scarlett was silent for a few moments.

"My problems."

"Do you think the same?"

"No."

"Why, Scarlett?"

The HYDRA assassin let out a heavy breath and sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Because talking doesn't help with my problems."

"What does?"

"Fighting."

"Okay."

Scarlett listened as a pen scratched against paper. The shrink was writing something.

"What are you writing?" She asked.

"Just a few notes to help us keep track of things." Dr. Lane was warned ahead of time that her patient was enhanced so Scarlett hearing her writing didn't surprise her too much. "What would you say motivates you the most in life?"

"Spite and anger."

"Who is your closest friend, Scarlett?"

"I don't have one."

"Surely you do, you just might not know it. Do you go to anyone with your problems?"

"I go to whoever causes them." Scarlett clenched her fists together tightly in her lap.

"That's good, Scarlett. Confronting someone about any issues you have with them is good."

"Not when they end up dead."

Dr. Lane nodded her head. That wasn't a positive way to handle problems.

"Why have you agreed to try to change your life now, Scarlett?"

She was silent for a long time. She didn't think she knew the answer to that question.

"I found out who my parents are."

"Do you hope to have a relationship with them in the future?"

"I don't.... I don't know." Scarlett wasn't lying. She didn't know if she wanted a relationship. She wasn't sure what she wanted from them.

"What's your happiest memory, Scarlett?"

She shook her head, leaning forward to rest her head against her hand. She rubbed her temple and chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments. She needed to put an effort into this.

"Someone singing.... Someone singing to me in Russian."

"Do you know who is singing to you, Scarlett?"

There was no reply. Dr. Lane added something to her notes and shifted the papers in her lap around.

"Do you know what they were singing?"

Scarlett said something but the doctor couldn't hear her.

"I'm sorry, Scarlett. You're talking too quietly."

"Nothing. I don't want to talk anymore."

"Okay, Scarlett." Dr. Lane nodded her head. "I'll be back tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"You'll probably come back even if I don't want you to."

———-

There was a slight tremble in the budding, causing Scarlett to be ripped from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and sat up from where she had been laying on the floor. She could hear nothing, not even the usual hum of the Tower's electricity.

Scarlett stood up from the floor and went over to the window but as soon as she was close enough to look outside, the glass shattered. She was thrown back into the desk. She hit the floor with a grunt after rolling off of the desk. She placed one fist against the ground then pushed herself to her feet. Glass dug into her knuckles and cut her skin.

Her ears rung and she felt a little dizzy. Whatever it was had a high pitched noise when it exploded. She wasn't able to hear Natasha enter her room. When the Black Widow knelt down to Scarlett's side, the trained assassin picked up a chunk of broken glass and swiped for Natasha's throat. Luckily, she missed but only by a fraction of an inch.

"Scarlett!" Natasha jumped to her feet and stepped away from the unpredictable girl.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." Scarlett dropped the piece of glass and wiped her bloody palm on her pant leg. "What the hell just happened?"

"It's HYDRA."

Scarlett locked her jaw. She knew they were here for her and they wouldn't stop until she quit breathing.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Fighting off agents on the bottom floor." Natasha started to make her way out of the room. Scarlett followed close behind. There were red and white security lights on but other than that, the entire floor was dark. "They cut the power and killed the backup generator."

"They want to blind you guys."

"They're here for you." Natasha reminded Scarlett over her shoulder. She pushed the door opened to the staircase next to the elevator and started down the stairs. "Are you going to help us or fight us?"

"You seem oddly calm for being unsure about the answer to that." Scarlett jumped over the side of the railing and landed on the stairs in front of Natasha.

"I don't think you have a death wish."

She moved quickly down the stairs in front of her mother.

"Maybe if you do good everyone else will have a little more faith in your actions." Natasha could only pray that her daughter was on the right path.

"Do I get a gun?"

"Definitely not."


	11. Eleven

Scarlett pushed the door to the thirtieth floor open. That was where the fight was currently taking place. Scarlett's eyes flicked around to the room, hastily assessing the situation. A HYDRA team of a dozen agents were fighting Steve, Clint, Sam, Wanda, and Bucky. None of the Avengers had their equipment due to the surprise attack. Scarlett quickly found the leader of the team, Agent Jesse Mayer. He was fighting Sam.

Before Scarlett could cross the room to get to Mayer, another agent charged her. She slid one foot back and braced for the tackle. They both crashed to the floor. The agent pulled a metal bracelet from his pocket and managed to snap it around her wrist. The bracelet was instantly magnatised to the metal floor, rendering Scarlett's right hand useless. The agent drew a knife from the holster on his hip and stabbed at her stomach. She moved her upper body just in time to take the blade to the side below her ribs.

The burning sensation was masked by adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her jaw locked tightly as she fought the agent. Within a matter of seconds, she had her legs wrapped around his neck, securely holding him until he quit fighting her. Scarlett kicked the agent away then began to work on getting the metal cuff away from the floor.

Bucky knelt down next to her. She watched him with cautious eyes as he carefully pulled her wrist away from the floor. With a little effort, he managed to tear the metal off of Scarlett.

"Are you okay?" Bucky furrowed his brows together, his eyes flickering down to the red patch on her side.

"I'm fine." She stood to her feet and crossed the room. Agent Mayer had thrown Sam down on a table and was in the process of choking him to death. Scarlett grabbed Agent Mayer by the back of his neck and pulled him away from Sam. Using all of her strength, the young woman threw him into a wall which caused him to fall to the floor. She wrapped one hand securely around his neck and pulled him to his feet.

Scarlett pulled a gun from Mayer's thigh holster and held it to his head. She whistled once loudly, catching everyone's attention. The fighting ceased. The agent that had been fighting Bucky had positioned himself behind Bucky with a gun to the Soldier's head.

"What were your orders?" Scarlett's question was directed to Agent Mayer.

"Silence you." Mayer spoke through his teeth to her. "Boss seems to think you're getting soft."

Scarlett locked her jaw. She was anything but soft. The gun in her hand was turned to the agent holding Bucky hostage. A sense of dread fell over the Avengers in the room. None of them had weapons to fight the assassin. She'd easily murder all of them with the gun. Scarlett had a choice to make. She took a soft breath through her nose and pulled the trigger. Within less than five seconds, the twelve HYDRA agents were dead. Scarlett stepped aside as Agent Mayer's body fell to the floor.

Steve shifted around in his spot, his eyes flickering briefly over to Natasha. The Black Widow shook her head once, telling him not to do anything. Steve wanted to get the gun away from Scarlett.

"Scarlett, put the gun down." Natasha told her. Scarlett's eyes flickered over to the red head. Scarlett took the clip out of the magazine and tossed the parts down on to a table.

"How bad is that cut?" Steve nodded to her side.

"I'm fine." Scarlett answered flatly. She knelt down by the body closest to her and patted around until she found a phone. "I have to make a call."

"To who?" Natasha asked.

"Alexander Pierce and Reo Takahashi."

"Pierce died two years ago." Bucky shook his head, his eyes flickering to Natasha for reassurance.

"Well he didn't stay dead." Scarlett wiped the blade of the knife on her pantleg and started to dial a phone number. She turned her back to the two Avengers and held the phone to her ear.

"Agent Mayer." Takahashi answered. "How did the mission go?"

"I hope you know I don't like when people try to kill me, Takahashi." Scarlett spoke in a low voice. She was furious and angry with the failed mission to end her life.

"You've disappointed Secretary Pierce greatly, Scarlett. You were better raised than this."

"No, this is what he made me." Scarlett spoke through tightly clenched teeth.

"What you've done, Scarlett.... You're starting a war."

"You'd never survive a war with me." Scarlett dropped the phone to the floor and crushed it under her barefoot.

"You're bleeding, Scarlett." Natasha spoke quietly as the dark haired woman turned to face her. "Let's get you stitched up and make sure you aren't seriously injured."

"I'm not too worried about it." Scarlett glanced down to the gash on her forearm and her side. "It'll take a lot more than a little knife to kill me."

———

"Whoa! Romanoff, Barnes! What the hell?" Tony instantly became defensive once he saw Scarlett wasn't in any kind of restraint. He pressed a button on his watch and an Iron Man glove covered his hand. Scarlett took a defensive stance, gripping the knife in her hand, ready for an attack. Her upper lip curled up in almost a snarl.

"Easy, Tony." Natasha held her hand out to him. "She's on our side."

"You can't be sure, Nat." Bruce shook his head gently.

"All she wants right now is to go after her bosses." Bucky understood how she felt and wanted to help her, but he wouldn't admit that right now. He also knew that what he was about to say next was a lie. "As long as you don't get between her and what she wants, she isn't a threat."

The brutal fact was that Scarlett was a threat to anyone she came close to. She was unstable and her moral compass was broken. All she needed was a little guidance and support. Maybe then she would be able to have a relatively normal life.

"She's covered in blood and has a knife!" Tony exclaimed. Natasha held her hand out to Scarlett. Scarlett mumbled something under her breath and roughly placed the handle of the knife into the Black Widow's hand.

"Would you feel more comfortable if I stitched you, Scarlett? Or would you be okay with Dr. Banner?" Natasha asked Scarlett as she placed the knife on a counter top.

"I don't care." Scarlett answered through her teeth, her eyes flickering from Avenger to Avenger. She felt uncomfortable in the room with so many eyes focused on her and she felt the need to prove to them that they didn't scare her. s he wasn't easily intimidated.

"Dr. Banner?" Tony raised his brows at his best friend. The Avenger shook his head and took steps away from the group.

"I-I seriously don't think I'm the best candidate for that. It's.... The situation is too stressful for my liking."

"Nat can't do it right now, Doc." Clint said. "She needs fixed up herself."

"I'm fine, Barton." Natasha assured him. "Come have a seat, Scarlett."

The HYDRA assassin reluctantly took a seat where the Widow had suggested and put her arm up on the table.

"Hill has a clean-up crew coming in." Tony announced, then pointed to Scarlett. "Which means she needs to be somewhere else by the time they get here."

"You've got to put a little bit of faith in her, Tony, or else this will never work." Natasha glanced over to her close friend before returning her gaze to the gash on Scarlett's arm.

"I didn't mean it that way. I don't want someone to see her and go around telling everyone else that there's a HYDRA plus one in the Tower right now. That would mean more press and reporters and cameras around and until we can get this situation one-hundred percent under control, I think it's safer for her and everyone else if she stays on the down low."

"There's going to be construction workers all over fixing what HYDRA did." Steve said. "What do we do about that?"

The room fell silent for a few moments. Scarlett watched Natasha push the needle through her skin. She was still so high on adrenaline that she couldn't feel the pain from the simple action. All she could feel was the tugging of the needle piercing her skin and the material being pulled through her skin.

"We could stay at the Compound for a little while." Wanda suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Bruce nodded his head.

"Then it's settled. Meet back here in fifteen and we'll leave." Steve clapped his hands together.

Scarlett watched as the team dispersed. The only ones to stay was Wanda, Pietro, and Natasha. When Natasha finished with stitching the cut, Scarlett shifted in her seat. She curled and uncurled her fingers for a few moments, testing how the movements felt with the stitches.

"Do I get to go back into a little six by six cell?" She glanced over to Natasha.

"It depends on your actions." The Widow answered quietly.

"I don't have a desire to hurt any of your friends." Scarlett stood up and started to move around the room, snooping in drawers and messing with a few things left out on the counter tops. "But I can't speak for when I'm provoked."

"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Let's go get you changed and pack some of your clothes, Scarlett." Wanda suggested.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Pietro asked.

"I think I got it." She shook her head at her brother and gave his hand a squeeze before letting go.

Scarlett watched the encounter. She saw the way his eyes carefully watched Wanda like he was afraid she would disappear right before his eyes. He cared about his sister and was worried about her. Scarlett scared him.

"Scarlett? Are you coming?" Wanda looked over her shoulder to the young woman. Scarlett's eyes left Pietro to look at his twin. She nodded her head and began to follow the Scarlet Witch.

———

"Are you okay, Scarlett?"

"I'm fine." She answered flatly as she watched Wanda pack a duffle bag for her.

"You didn't seem fine back there—,"

"What do you want, Maximoff?" Scarlett cut her off. "You don't care how I feel, don't act like it."

Wanda put the duffle bag on to the bed and turned to face Scarlett.

"I do care, Scarlett. As much as I hate it, sometimes I cannot control what thoughts and memories I read, especially when I'm sleeping. I want to help you."

"I don't want help." Scarlett turned away, moving towards the broken window. "I don't want anyone's help."

"But sometimes that's all you need."

Scarlett said nothing, her eyes staring down at the city below.

———

"What are you reading, Barnes?" Sam asked him. The Winter Soldier glanced up from the file in his hand to look out the window.

"Her file." Bucky answered quietly. "Just want some answers."

Sam nodded his head and watched him for a few moments before turning back around to face the road. He sat in the passenger seat while Tony drove. In the back two rows of seats were Bruce, Bucky, Clint, Peter, and Thor. Bucky ran a hand over his face and put the file on his lap.

"By the time she was twelve years old, she had seven murders under her belt. She's never going to be normal."

"She's been through a lot, Buck." Sam spoke quietly, afraid to talk any louder. "But she did what she had to in order to survive."

"You can't tell me you don't see the crazy in her eyes, Wilson." Tony shifted around in his seat ti whisper to Sam.

"I see the same crazy in your eyes, Stark. You've seen things, had to do things that you aren't proud of. All of us have. She's still just a kid."

"A kid that has murdered dozens of people." Bruce muttered.


	12. Twelve

Scarlett's eyes watched the trees pass by as the SUV she was in made its way down a little gravel road. She sat next to Pietro and Wanda sat on the other side of him. Steve drove the SUV while Natasha sat in the passenger seat. Natasha glanced back to Scarlett before her gaze landed on Steve. His eyes met hers for a second then he returned his sight to the road.

"We're going to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility?" Scarlett asked. She didn't take her eyes off of the trees. They were a gorgeous dark green that captivated her.

"Yes." Natasha nodded her head.

"Are you going to tell them who I am?" The HYDRA assassin's voice lowered. She turned her head to look to the redhead in the passenger seat. Natasha didn't have an answer. She didn't know if it would be wrong to keep Scarlett's identity away from the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

"We don't know yet." Steve sighed softly.

"I can imagine their reaction to finding out who I am won't be one that's welcoming." Scarlett hummed softly. "I've killed my fair share of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"That's.... not something I'd share with anyone else, Scarlett." Natasha softly shook her head. The car fell silent for a few heartbeats.

"They'll do whatever it takes to silence me, you know." Scarlett stated very matter-of-factly, her gaze flickering to the trees outside. "Pierce.... He knows what I can do. I was their only chance at surviving the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I'm not going to let them get you, Scarlett."

"If you want to keep your friends, you'd do the smart thing and turn me over to Alexander Pierce." Scarlett lifted her head and brought her gaze to finally meet Natasha's.

"That's not happening." Steve glanced over to Natasha, who couldn't find the right words at the moment.

Scarlett watched as the SUV ahead of them led the way up a now paved road to a big building. Her fingers curled into her thigh as her stomach churned. She didn't like the idea of going into the enemy's territory. She didn't want to risk going in only to have to fight to get out. As the SUVs came to a stop near a set of glass doors, agents in tactical suits emerged from the building. Behind them was Maria Hill.

"Who told her?" Natasha looked to Steve.

"I don't know."

Scarlett watched as the two Avengers in the front seat got out of the vehicle. Then Wanda and Pietro got out, leaving the ex-HYDRA assassin alone in the SUV. Her door was pulled open by Pietro.

"You don't have to stay in here, you know." He told her. Scarlett eyed him carefully before stepping out of the SUV.

"Stay close to me, Scarlett." Natasha cautiously watched the armored agents. "What's going on, Maria?"

"It's nothing against you, Nat. I'm just doing this for the safety of my agents." Hill looked from the redhead to Scarlett. She stood nearly ten feet behind Natasha, her darkened gaze overlooking the tact team.

"She's not going to hurt anyone unless she feels threatened."

"You can't guarantee that." Hill shook her head.

"Maria—,"

"How do you think the veteran agents will feel when they find out a HYDRA assassin who's killed nearly two dozen of our own is now living among them in the Compound?"

"She's just a kid, Hill." Steve spoke up. "She's been through a lot. We just want to help her."

Hill was silent for a few moments. She didn't like how Scarlett was staring her down.

"If anything happens I'll—,"

"You'll what?" Scarlett took a few steps towards Hill but Natasha put her arm up to stop her. "I don't need you to protect me." She glared sharply at the Widow.

"You do here."

"We've had a long day, Maria." Steve pulled his duffle bag from the SUV and began to lead the way into the Compound. Natasha looked to Scarlett and then flicked her head in the direction Steve had gone.

"I'll get your bag. Stay with him."

Scarlett gritted her teeth together and stomped after the Captain.

"She reminds me of you." Hill commented, her eyes lingering on Natasha. She dismissed the agents and watched them disappear into the Compound. "The first time she does anything out of line—,"

"I'll keep my eye on her." Natasha assured Hill, briefly putting her hand on the agent's shoulder before following after Scarlett. "I've got a little bit of advice for you, Scarlett. Don't antagonize anyone here."

"I'm not going to let them think that they scare me."

"That's not what I meant." Natasha came to a stop and when Scarlett showed no signs of following, Natasha grabbed her arm. Scarlett ripped her arm free and spun around to glare at the redhead. The tension and hostility in the air was thick and caused the Avengers ahead of the mother and daughter duo to stop. "You need to show them that you aren't the enemy. Show them you aren't what Pierce made you." Natasha spoke softly. Scarlett said nothing and instead, curled her fingers into tight fists by her sides.

———

Scarlett sat in the center of what would be her new room within the Compound. Her hands rested on her knees as she sat criss-cross. Blue eyes were focused intently on the door to the room in front of her. She didn't like being locked in her room but it was better than being watched by any agent she passed in the halls.

With the help of her enhanced senses, Scarlett could hear agents pass by in the hallway. The vibrations in the metal flooring allowed for her to identify how many people walked by at a time. There was a soft hum to the Compound that was oddly soothing to Scarlett. She had no doubt it was from the electricity coursing through the building. Large structures such as the Compound were often accompanied by a soft humming noise.

Scarlett was growing bored with sitting still and listening. Hill had strictly told Natasha that Scarlett wasn't allowed to leave her room without supervision. However Scarlett wasn't willing to ask Natasha or anyone else for permission to leave her room.

A soft knock on the metal door tore her attention away from her thoughts. She was too busy mentally cursing everyone she had ever met to hear someone approach her room.

"What?" She answered flatly, rising swiftly to her feet. The door was pushed open to reveal Pietro.

"I thought maybe you'd want to get out of this boring place." The Avenger curiously looked around the inside of the room. He took note of how she hadn't unpacked anything and her duffle bag was by the door, as if she was waiting to leave. "I could give you a tour of the Compound."

"Why would you do that?" Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't know." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Just trying to be nice, I guess."

He noticed the way her guarded eyes carefully watched him, searching for any alterior motives. A soft smile came to his lips as he watched her.

"I'll come with you if it means you'll quit smiling at me like that." Scarlett grumbled.

"I can't make any promise, princessa."

"Don't call me that." Her tone was anything but friendly. Scarlett slipped out of the room, moving briskly past Pietro. He watched her move down the hallway. He waited a few heartbeats before following after her.

"I'm Pietro, by the way." He started walking backwards so he could face her and watch her features. "I'm not sure if anyone told you who I am or if introductions were made—,"

"I know who you are." She cut him off without looking at him. "Pietro Maximoff. The Quicksilver. One of Strucker's most prized lab rats. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Why?" He furrowed his brows together.

"His experiments always died. He took too many risks."

"Then that must make me, like, super strong." Pietro grinned a little, hoping his terrible attempt to flirt would at least make her loosen up a bit.

"Or super stupid." She glanced to him out of the corner of her eyes to him. His chest tightened for that brief second that their gaze met. He never noticed how breathtaking her pale blue eyes were.

Silence fell between them as they walked alongside each other with as much space between them as possible. It was evident Scarlett didn't want to be near him and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable . As they left the housing quarters of the Compound, they began to pass more and more agents. With every person that passed her, Scarlett saw the way they watched her with shielded eyes. They would hold their breath as they passed her, their hands coming up to hold the guns secured on their hips.

Pietro took note of the way Scarlett watched every agent that passed. She never turned her head as they passed her but her eyes always followed them. He became aware of how she carried herself. Her shoulders were back and her head held high. She was confident in herself and she wanted everyone else to know the same. The Quicksilver had been too busy admiring the deadly girl beside him to realize he was going to run into Sam and Steve.

"Watch where you're going, kid." Sam came to a stop next to Steve, standing a few feet in front of Scarlett and Pietro.

"What are you two doing?" Steve cautiously glanced to Scarlett before returning his gaze to Pietro.

"I was just showing Scarlett around the Compound." Pietro explained. Steve nodded his head once and then looked to Scarlett.

"Nat said you haven't eaten in a while. Help yourself to anything you want in the cafeteria."

"I want to keep walking, Pietro." Scarlett brushed past the Super Soldier and the Falcon to continued making her way down the hall.

"Keep an eye on her, Maximoff." Steve told him.

"I will." Pietro easily caught up with Scarlett's quick pace in barely a second. Just as he was getting to her, a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was passing Scarlett and it was easy to tell that she was staring at the HYDRA assassin. Scarlett came to a stop, her jaw locking tightly and her left fist moving back and forth as she blankly stared ahead. "Scarlett–,"

"I'm done letting people stare at me like I'm some freak." She turned to go after the agent but Pietro stopped her, putting his hand on her arm. She spun around and pushed grabbed his wrist. Just as she was putting her other hand on his upper bicep so she could slam him against the wall, he was out of her grip and standing behind her. Scarlett turned on her heels to face him, glaring up at him.

"You can't fight them, Scarlett." He softly shook his head. She said nothing as she held his gaze. He knew she wouldn't say anything either. She knew he was right. Pietro glanced over his shoulder for a moment before looking back to Scarlett. "Let's go. We haven't even gotten around the whole Compound."

Scarlett watched him move past her and continue down the hallway in the direction they had previously been going. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. He stopped at the opposite end of the hallway where it ended. He threw his hands into the air.

"Aren't you coming?"

Scarlett debated on just leaving him. Surely the entire facility wasn't as boring as he was. With a heavy and irritated sigh, she stomped after him.


	13. Thirteen

Scarlett stood in the doorway to one of the training rooms. It was early in the morning and after she managed to sneak away from Bucky, she unknowingly found her way to the training room. Only a handful of Avengers were present. Steve, Natasha, Peter, and Sam were the only ones willing to train so early. Pietro and Clint sat off to the side of the room, quietly chatting while they did their best to stay awake.

Scarlett watched as Sam sparred with Natasha. He was doing okay until he slid his left foot back a little too much, giving the Widow the perfect opportunity to wrap her leg around his and take him to the floor.

"Damn it." Sam cursed. While Natasha stood to her feet, he remained on his back on the ground. "Why does that keep happening?"

"You compromise your stance when you slide your foot back further than you should." Scarlett told him. "A poor stance sets you up for failure."

"Where's Bucky?" Steve asked her. He had been working with Peter. He looked away just as Peter was swinging for him. The kid landed a solid punch to Steve's cheek. He turned his head to look at Peter, who was now slowly stepping away from him.

"I don't know. I'm not his babysitter." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders.

"No, but you're suppose to stay with him or one of us at all times."

"I'm not going to do anything. I'm not stupid." She rolled her eyes at him.

"No, but you are dangerous. None of us trust you yet and I'm positive you don't trust us."

"Well you aren't wrong." Scarlett let out a heavy sigh. "How long have you been training, Wilson?"

"Oh, she knows my name." Sam sarcastically muttered. "A few months. Why do you ask?"

"Who's training you?"

"Nat, Cap, sometimes Barnes, Barton when he's not on his ass—,"

"Why are you asking so many questions, Scarlett?" Steve asked her as he started to unwrap his hands.

"I strongly believe that everyone should be able to fight for themselves. And it's kinda sad that a, what, thirty-something year old man doesn't know how to throw a punch—,"

"Hey! Hey!" Sam furrowed his brows together. "I can throw a punch!"

"Just cause you can throw your hands around doesn't mean you can throw a punch."

"Well I'm about to throw these hands—,"

"Don't, Sam." Steve shook his head.

"Why don't you come in and show him the right way?" Natasha suggested. She wasn't sure where this would go but she wanted Scarlett to feel included. She watched the dark haired girl shift her weight from one foot to the other before she took a few steps into the room. "Have you taught someone how to fight before?"

"Plenty of times." Scarlett nodded her head once.

"Show him what he did wrong." Natasha did her best to hide the hopeful smile that came to her lips. Scarlett nodded her head, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. "Which one do you want to be?"

"I'll be him. Don't go easy on me." Scarlett got into position, remembering how Sam was standing just before Natasha took him to the ground. She slid her foot back a little too much, giving Natasha the ability to use Scarlett's own weight against her. Natasha hooked her leg around Scarlett's leg and easily took her down to the floor. Scarlett landed with a huff on her back.

"You okay?" Natasha got to her feet and held her hand out for her daughter. Scarlett cautiously looked at her hand before placing her own in Natasha's.

"I'm fine." Scarlett assured her. "I can take a lot more than that."

"Agent Romanoff?" A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knocked on the opened door to the training room. "Hill wants you and her...." The agent paused to nod to Scarlett. "She wants both of you in the medic bay."

"Why?" Natasha crossed her arms. The agent shrugged his shoulders.

"She didn't say."

Scarlett watched the agent leave. When he was gone, she turned her attention to Natasha.

"I'm not going."

"I'm going with you." Natasha let out a sigh. "Let's see what she wants."

———

Scarlett's eyes flickered around the room as they entered the medic bay. The doctors and agents in white lab coats all turned their attention to her. She didn't like the attention, especially that of medical professionals. Her history with doctors was anything but decent.

"What can we do for you, Maria?" Natasha stopped by the desk Hill was leaning against. The S.H.I.E.L.D. leader had been talking to another agent when the Black Widow interrupted.

"I'd like to have a physical done on Scarlett." Hill stood up. She passed the file she had been holding on to to the agent next to her.

"No way." Scarlett firmly shook her head. "There's no way that's happening."

"Why do you need a physical?" Natasha ignored her stubborn daughter.

"I have different sources who say she's enhanced. Every enhanced individual we come across, we need to have a file on.

"Last time I checked, you did have a file on me." Scarlett smirked. Natasha sent her a brief glare.

"That's not the kind of file we want them to have on you, Scarlett."

"I don't want to fight anyone and I don't want to make this anymore difficult than it has to be." Hill shook her head. "We don't have to do it all at once. We can do a little bit everyday if that's what you're more comfortable with, Scarlett."

"Frankly, I'm not comfortable with any of it." Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Hill.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that, but you need—,"

"Stop talking." Scarlett cut Hill off. The HYDRA assassin's eyes flickered to the ceiling as her hands fell to her sides. Her brows were knitted together as she focused on something.

"What is it, Scarlett?" Natasha asked her.

"HYDRA is here." Scarlett turned and sprinted out of the training room.

"What the hell does she mean?" Hill looked to Natasha, who softly shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's go." Natasha hastily followed after her daughter. Luckily, Scarlett hadn't gotten very far. She stood at the end of the hallway by one of the large windows. Natasha stopped a safe distance away from the unpredictable girl. She held her hand out to silently tell Hill to stop moving towards Scarlett. "What's going on, Scarlett?"

"They've got a helicopter in the sky." Blue eyes searched the cloudy sky for any sight of the aircraft she could hear.

"How do you know it's not one of ours?" Hill asked her.

"HYDRA helicopters have a very distinct sound. They sound more like an echoing whoomp." Scarlett turned and started to push past the two women. "I need to get to the roof."

"Whoa, Scarlett." Natasha stepped in her path. "Why do you need to be on the roof?"

"They have an MH-6 Little Bird. Those are used to drop special ops teams onto rooftops or into small spaces. That means that they're planning an attack."

"Those helicopters can only carry a maximum of eight agents, including the flight crew." Hill told Scarlett.

"HYDRA puts their best in them. They only need eight."

Silence fell around the trio. Hill looked from Scarlett to Natasha.

"We need to keep this on the down low. If my agents find out HYDRA knows our location after we took in a known HYDRA agent–,"

"I didn't tell anyone shit." Scarlett cut Hill off, taking a step towards the agent.

"I never said you did, but people will think you did. I want this kept quiet as long as possible."

Natasha softly nodded her head, then brought her eyes to Scarlett.

"I'm good at quiet." A sly smirk crossed her lips.

"We'll take care of it, Hill." Natasha nodded once to Hill. Scarlett turned to leave when Natasha stopped her, placing her hand on Scarlett's arm. "I'm putting my trust in you, Scarlett. I'm going to let you out on the roof but only to help me."

"I don't want anything to do with them." Scarlett muttered, pulling her arm out of Natasha's grip.

———

"Where the hell did you go, Scarlett?" Bucky ran into the two women as they made their way towards the stairs with rooftop access.

"Hey, Barnes." Natasha came to a stop in front of him. Scarlett didn't slow down to greet him. She was on a mission and no one could stop her. "Come with us."

"What are we doing?" Bucky furrowed his brows as he trailed behind Natasha.

"Stopping an ambush." She called over her shoulder.

———

Scarlett stopped at the top of the stairs. They were at the door that would take them to the roof.

"The helicopter's gone." She whispered. She could hear footsteps just beyond the door. "But there's men on the roof. Six of them."

"Do we need a plan?" Bucky asked. Natasha shook her head. She pulled a knife out of her zip-up jacket and handed it up to Scarlett. The young woman looked at the weapon for a few heartbeats before shaking her head.

"I don't need it."

"I'd feel a lot better if you had it."

"I wouldn't." Bucky muttered.

"Please take it." Natasha urged, holding the hilt of the knife out for Scarlett. Scarlett took the knife before pushing the door open. It was silent and didn't creak like she expected it to.

The group of HYDRA operatives had their backs to the door. Though she wore heavy boots, her steps were nearly silent as she ran after the group. She pounced on the back of the first agent she came to. Her legs wrapped around the agent's torso and her right arm securely wrapped around his neck. She brought the blade of the knife down just behind his collarbone. As he was about to drop to the ground, Scarlett jumped down to her feet.

A second agent started to fire his gun in her direction. Scarlett grabbed the agent Natasha had been fighting by the back of his bulletproof vest. She used the agent as a human shield to provide her with cover while she moved towards the one shooting at her. Before she could get close enough to disarm the agent herself, Bucky did it for her.

"Thanks." She muttered, throwing the now dead agent to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone move. She looked just in time to see a knife being thrown her way. Scarlett dodged the blade. It hit another agent not too far from her that Bucky was now fighting. A growl vibrated in her chest as she turned her darkened attention back to the agent who had thrown the knife. In one swift movement, she launched her knife at the agent.

With her heart racing and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Scarlett looked around in search of any threat. All of the agents were either dead or unconcious. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and let out a heavy breath.

"Are you guys good?" She looked to Bucky and then to Natasha. Neither of them got a chance to answer. There was an explosion towards the middle of the roof. No one was close enough to be injured but the force of the blast threw Bucky off of the roof. Scarlett moved as fast as she could to reach him. Just as he was going over, her hand caught his right wrist. The momentum was too much. She was pulled over the side of the building as well, but luckily her hand not holding Bucky managed to latch on to the side of the roof. She let out a cry of pain. Something in her shoulder popped.

"Scarlett! James!" Natasha panicked for a split second. She had seen them both disappear over the edge of the roof. Once she saw that both Bucky and Scarlett weren't falling to their deaths, the panic turned into irritation. "What the actual hell is wrong with you two!"

"I didn't willingly throw myself off of the building." Bucky grumbled.

"Can we wait to fight later?" Scarlett grunted, squeezing her eyes shut for a few moments.

"I'll go get Steve—,"

"No!" Scarlett couldn't help but raise her voice. Her shoulder was coursing with pain and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on to Bucky much longer. "By the time you get back with him, Barnes is going to be a splatter nearly two hundred feet below us and I'm going to be down one less arm."

"Then what do you suggest we do? I'm pretty positive I can't pull you both up myself. No offense, Barnes."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No, we aren't doing that." Scarlett gritted her teeth together. "Jesus Christ, Barnes! How much do you weigh?"

"I've seen you handle a lot more than just two-hundred-pounds, kid. Quit being dramatic."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Stopping your two-hundred-pound ass from falling to your death made me dislocate my fucking shoulder—,"

"It's okay, Scarlett. We'll figure this out." Natasha cut her off. The last thing they needed was Scarlett to get angry and let Bucky go.

"If I swing you over, you think you can catch the edge?" Scarlett looked down to Bucky. He squinted as he looked up to her, inspecting the edge of the roof.

"I can try. I mean.... what's the worse that can happen?"

"You die." Natasha rubbed her temples.

"Right."

"Start swinging. We need the momentum." Scarlett told him.

"But your shoulder—,"

"Don't worry about my damned shoulder. It'll heal. On three, I'm going to swing you as far as I can but you've got to help me out. Got it?"

"Yeah." Bucky muttered. She was talking to him like he was stupid but he figured it was because she was trying not to get mad. He began to swing his legs back and forth. Scarlett's grip on his wrist tightened unbelievably as she clenched her jaw. She could taste blood in her mouth.

"One.... two.... three!" Scarlett pushed the pain to the back of her mind and used all of her strength to swing Bucky high enough up so that he could grab the side of the roof with his left arm. Once he had his hand on the ledge, he let Scarlett go and pulled himself up. Natasha took ahold of Scarlett's hand and pulled her up on to the roof. Once she was on the safety of the rooftop, Scarlett stood to her feet and took a slow deep breath.

"Let's get you to a medic." Natasha suggested.

"I'll be fine." Scarlett shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to be around people right at the moment. "I'll set it myself."

"Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem to just—,"

"I'll be in my room if you need me." Scarlett left Natasha and Bucky on the roof. Both watched as the young woman stepped over the bodies on the ground and yanked the door open. It slammed shut with a jarring thud.

"Let's go." Natasha patted Bucky's shoulder. When they got to the door, it wouldn't open. It was jammed shut.

"Damn it, Scarlett." Bucky muttered. He put one foot up against the door frame and used both hands to pull the door open. It flew open and he nearly fell to the ground.

"I think we're making progress." Natasha spoke quietly. She stopped at the top of the stairs. Bucky stopped a few steps below her. "She could've let you fall, James."

"I know." He nodded his head, absentmindedly rubbing his left arm. "I'm gonna go talk to her later. Let her cool off first."

"She admitted to me that she doesn't want anything to do with them, with HYDRA." A soft and hopeful smile came to the Widow's lips. "She's trying to get better."

"I know, but it's a long, hard process. She's not even half way there yet." He turned and started down the stairs again. "Don't get too hopeful, Nat."  
  



	14. Fourteen

As Scarlett pushed through the halls of the Compound, she did her best to ignore the agents bustling around. The explosion on the roof had set off alarms and everyone was eager to find out what the problem was.

"Watch it." She snarled as an agent accidentally bumped into her. He turned to face her, hesitantly reaching for the gun on his hip. Scarlett let go of her injured shoulder and prepared to fight. "Pull it out. I dare you."

The agent seemed unsure of his own actions. He didn't know if he wanted to fight her or not. Scarlett could sense his hesitation and a dangerous smirk crossed her lips. Hesitation was a sign of weakness. Just as she was taking a step towards the agent, a gust of wind blew her dark hair into her face. Pietro was standing between her and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"What's going on?"

"She threatened my life."

"I did not." Scarlett spoke through clenched teeth. "But that can be arranged."

"Come on, Scarlett. He's not worth it." Pietro shook his head and started to walk towards her. Scarlett huffed and turned away from him. He took note of the way she seemed to cradle her left shoulder like it was hurting her. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

———

Pietro followed her through the busy hallways until they got to the housing quarters . She came to a stop at the door to her room. It opened with a hiss.

"Scarlett, I think you're bleeding." Pietro furrowed his brows together as he looked down at the floor. There were a few drops of blood on the steel flooring. She didn't seem to hear him. Pietro lingered in the doorway, watching as Scarlett shrugged off her black jacket, leaving her in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a gray long sleeve. Through the gray material of the long sleeve shirt, a dark red stain could be seen on her left side. That wasn't the only place she was bleeding from. Another bullet had grazed her right bicep. There was blood splattered on the front of her shirt but it didn't appear to be hers.

"Damn it." Scarlett hissed in pain as she tried to take off her shirt. Moving her left arm was impossible.

"Do you need help?" Pietro offered. When he stepped out of the doorway, the door slid shut.

"No." She growled at him.

"Okay. I'll rephrase that." Pietro wanted to roll his eyes at her. Her stubbornness was annoying. "Let me help you."

"I don't need your help. Get out of my room."

"You can't even move your arm." Pietro moved towards her. She locked her jaw, watching with cautious blue eyes.

"I'll be fine."

"You'll bleed out." He stopped a few feet away from her. "Please, Scarlett. Just let me help you."

"Why do you want to help me?" She asked him quietly.

"Because I don't want you to bleed to death just because you're stubborn." A charming smile crossed his lips. "Come on. Every room has a first aid kit." Pietro slipped past Scarlett to go to the bathroom. As he was passing her, he saw the way she stepped away from him. He pulled open the cupboard underneath the sink in the bathroom. The first aid kit was taken out and placed on the top of the sink. "Come in here, princessa."

"Don't call me that." Scarlett grumbled as she moved into the bathroom. She took a seat on the closed lid of the toilet.

Pietro knelt down in front of Scarlett and placed the first aid kit on the floor next to him. He met her gaze for a few heartbeats.

"Can I....?" He gestured to her shirt. He knew she wouldn't be able to take it off herself. Something was wrong with her left arm. Silently, Scarlett nodded her head. Pietro knew that if he moved too fast, there was a good chance she'd get spooked and try to fight him. She was cautious and very hesitant to even let him help her. She didn't trust him.

He carefully took ahold of the bottom of her shirt and gently pulled it over her head. She was left in a black sports bra and jeans. Her arms were littered in scars, some tiny and some big. She always wore long sleeves so he was never able to tell just how damaged she was. His eyes very briefly grazed over a soft pink scar that stretched across her left collarbone and disappeared underneath the strap to her sports bra. He hastily tore his gaze away to focus on the blood.

Scarlett observed the way Pietro seemed to touch her softly and gently. Electric blue eyes never once looked at her in any intentions other than to help her.

"Just let me know if I hurt you, okay?"

"Don't worry about it." Scarlett muttered.

"Well I don't want to, so don't let me." Pietro gave her a little smile. He used an alcohol wipe to begin to wipe the blood off of her side. As he got closer to the bullet wound, the burning grew. Scarlett gasped at the sudden pain when Pietro accidentally pressed too hard. Her hand flew out to grab his shoulder but she quickly retracted her hand. She didn't want to hurt him. "I-I'm sorry, Scarlett."

"Just get this over with."

Pietro nodded his head and went back to cleaning the wound. After a few silent minutes, she grew curious with his actions. He was so soft and gentle with her. No one else had been so careful and cautious about causing her harm.

"Why aren't you scared of me?" Her voice was an airy whisper as she looked down at him. Silvery curls were tousled all over the place. He looked up at her through dark eyelashes.

"Should I be scared of you?"

"You'd be a fool if you weren't." Scarlett turned her head to the side as he finished patching up the wound just below her ribcage. She'd need to see an actual doctor but for the time being, she would be fine.

"Well I'm not scared of you." Pietro gave her a little friendly smile. Scarlett found herself unable to tear her eyes away from his. He was the first to look away, bringing his eyes back to the wound on her bicep. "What happened?"

"HYDRA thought they were smart enough to attack the Compound with half a dozen barely trained agents." Scarlett answered.

"Wow. I mean, I knew they could be stupid but why do something like that?"

"They're under shitty management right now."

Pietro fell silent. He didn't want to make Scarlett uncomfortable with too much small talk. He was beyond surprised that she had willingly allowed him to help her. He didn't want to press his luck.

Once he finished wrapping the wound from the grazed bullet, he sat back on his knees.

"What did you do to your shoulder?"

"Dislocated it. I'm fine. You can go."" Scarlett stood to her feet. Pietro nodded his head but said nothing. She watched him move towards the door to her bedroom. The door shut quietly behind him. Scarlett took ahold of the wrist on her dislocated shoulder. Her eyes closed tightly as she took a few even breaths. She lifted her dislocated arm straight out and continued to take even breaths. She needed to remain in control of her anger that was being caused by the pain. At the sound of the joint popping back into place, Scarlett gasped softly and let her wrist go. 

Someone knocked on the door.

"Scarlett? It's me." Natasha said. "I really think you should see a medic about that shoulder."

"I'm fine. I fixed it. I'm sure by the time I get to a doctor, it will be healed already." Scarlett sat down on the edge of the bed in the room. Her hands rested on her knees as she leaned forward a little. Her eyes closed and her lips were pressed together in a line.

"Okay. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call or text me."

Scarlett said nothing. She listened to the sound of the Widow leaving the hallway. Another set of footsteps caught her attention. These ones were heavy but quiet. They stopped in front of the door to Scarlett's room. Her eyes opened as she looked at the door, expecting someone to knock. When they didn't, Scarlett stood to her feet. She waited patiently for something to happen, for whoever it was to open the door or say something. but they never did. After a few silent heartbeats, the person walked away. Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows together and decided to see who it was. She stepped out of her room and looked both ways down the hallway. The hall was empty.

———

No one had seen Scarlett for the rest of the day, and no one dared to bother her. Around 7:30 that night, the Avengers were in the cafeteria having a late dinner. The team of twelve sat between three different circular tables in the cafeteria.

Pietro sat at a table with Wanda, Clint, and Vision. He was facing the door to the cafeteria and everyone few moments, he'd glance up just to see if maybe Scarlett had decided to join them. He had gone by her room a half hour earlier to tell her that the team was going to be in the cafeteria if she was hungry. He received no answer and chose not to bug her too much.

"Why do you keep looking at the door, kid?" Clint asked him. Pietro shook his head softly and shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I don't know." His eyes flickered over to his sister. Wanda met his gaze very briefly before returning to her conversation with Vision. She was the only one who knew that he had helped the unpredictable and possibly insane HYDRA assassin earlier in the day. His sister disagreed with his actions and made sure he knew that she didn't approve.

The quiet chatter and conversation around the cafeteria came to a stop. Pietro glanced around the room to see what was going on. Everyone was looking to the double doors of the cafeteria. He followed their gazes only to find Scarlett standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a pair of leggings and a gray hoodie. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. A few dark strands fell down around her face.

Natasha waved her over to the table she sat at with Steve, Bucky, and Tony. Scarlett left the door of the cafeteria and crossed the room. She was glad the Avengers were the only ones in the cafeteria. She disliked them less than the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"Are you hungry?" Natasha asked. "There's pizza and spaghetti."

"I'm not in the mood to eat." Scarlett shook her head. She crossed her arms firmly over her chest as she sat down in the empty seat next to Natasha. Sitting on the other side of the young HYDRA assassin was Bucky.

"How's your shoulder?" He asked her. At first he didn't look up from his plate. He wasn't sure if she was in a good mood and he didn't want to make one of her bad moods worse.

"It's fine." She answered flatly. Her eyes flickered over and very briefly met Pietro's. He smiled softly at her but her gaze didn't linger long enough to see the smile. "I wanted to talk to you, Natasha." Scarlett spoke quietly to the Black Widow. Natasha nodded her head softly and glanced over to Steve and Tony.

"Got it." The Iron Man gave her a thumbs up before standing to his feet. He picked up his plate and drink and moved over to the table occupied by Rhodey, Sam, Thor, and Bruce. Steve followed him. Bucky started to get up but Scarlett stopped him.

"You don't.... You don't have to go." She bit the inside of her cheek as the ex-HYDRA assassin looked at her. Her arms uncrossed and her hands were folded up in her lap. Bucky nodded his head as he sat back down.

"What did you want to talk about?" Natasha turned to Scarlett, who dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap.

"I want to.... I'm not good at this." She gestured to the space between herself and Natasha. "At talking. I-I don't know how. But I want to figure out how to control my.... issues."

"The anger?" Natasha asked. Scarlett firmly nodded her head. "Do you know of anything that helps the anger go away?"

Scarlett leaned back in her chair, her eyes flickering around the cafeteria. She knew the answer. Fighting always solved her problems. But she tried to think of another answer that was less violent.

"Fighting." She replied with a little exhale of her breath. "Fighting makes it go away."

"Okay." Natasha nodded her head. "I know plenty of people who use fighting as a way of dealing with their emotions. We can start going to the training room together in the mornings. Maybe hitting a few punching bags can help."

"I don't.... I don't know. It doesn't sound like it would help."

"Well we can try it and if it doesn't work then we can find another way." Natasha assured her. "How does that sound?"

"Like a good start." Scarlett rubbed her palms along the tops of her thighs. She pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to bed."

"I think you really should eat something, Scarlett. You didn't eat yesterday—,"

"Not hungry." Scarlett called over her shoulder. Natasha sighed out.

"She's making progress." Bucky reminded her. He stood up and followed Scarlett out of the cafeteria. "Hey, Scarlett? I just want to talk for a quick second."

Scarlett came to a stop to wait for him to catch up with her and then they both began to walk alongside each other down the hall.

"I never got a chance to say thank you for earlier."

"You don't have to thank me." She shook her head.

"Well I think I do." Bucky glanced over to her out of the corner of his eyes. "You could've easily let me drop. Or-Or you could've fallen over yourself."

"Yeah, I guess I could've." Scarlett absentmindedly rubbed her bicep. The bullet wound was still burning as it healed itself but the burn was bearable.

"Thank you."

Scarlett fell silent. She didn't know what to say.

"When I.... When I first got out of HYDRA, I had problems controlling my anger." He admitted. Gray-blue eyes were focused on the ground as they moved slowly through the hallways. "I learned that running helped with the stress and the confusion I felt. It still does. Nat uses yoga to help with her anxiety. Steve runs or goes to the gym. Barton sometimes does yoga but a lot of times he'll call his kids just to talk to them. Stark builds things or tinkers with his robots. Thor likes to watch the stars at night. I think he meditates too. Nat taught him about it. Sometimes he goes for runs with Steve and me."

"How do you know so much about them?" Scarlett looked over to Bucky.

"I just.... I hang out with them. We don't always do stuff but just.... just being in the same room as them and observing them. It took me a while to be comfortable enough to talk. I always.... I always felt like I had to wait to be spoken to and even then, I didn't like talking. It just wasn't.... It wasn't something I was trained to do."

Scarlett nodded her head in acknowledgement but said nothing. The two came to a stop outside of her room.

"I-I want to thank you." Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "For talking to me.... and telling me all that."

"Anytime you want to talk, I'm you're guy." Bucky smile softly. "I'm just.... I'm glad you can forgive me."

"It wasn't your fault." Scarlett shook her head as the door to her room opened with a hiss. "See you tomorrow, Barnes."

"Good night, Scarlett."

The door closed in Bucky's face. He couldn't have been more content with the way the day had turned out.


	15. Fifteen

After the door to her room hissed shut, Scarlett leaned against it for a few heartbeats. It had been a long day, but she felt hopeful about tomorrow. The HYDRA assassin huffed and almost rolled her eyes. Hope was something she didn't believe in but strangely enough, she could _feel_ it.

She crossed the dark room to get to the lamp by her bed. Half way across, she sensed someone behind her. Scarlett spun around to deliver a backwards roundhouse kick to the unknown person's collarbone. Whoever it was ducked the kick but wasn't quick enough to dodge a punch to the nose.

"Jesus Christ, Scarlett!" A familiar voice grunted.

"Vince?" She furrowed her brows together. She turned the lamp by her bed on to find Vince Warren cradling a bloody nose. He was a fairly tall man, standing at around six feet tall. His shoulders were broad and his dark hair was slicked back out of his eyes. He wore a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform that Scarlett knew didn't belong to him. "What the hell are you doing here, Vince?" She took note of the firearm on his left hip and his right thigh.

"Came to rescue you, baby." He tilted his head back for a moment before looking to Scarlett with a grin.

"I don't need to be rescued." She turned away from him. Vince grabbed her arm to stop her. She instantly pushed his hand off of her arm and spun around to point an accusing finger at him. "You don't get to touch me, Vince."

"That's not what you said last time I saw you." He smirked mischievously. She turned away from him. "What the hell's been going on with you, Scarlett? Where've you been for the last two months?"

"I'm tired, Vince. I want to go to sleep." She pulled off her hoodie and tossed it onto the bed.

"So what I've been hearing is true." He shook his head in disbelief. "You've turned soft."

"I don't get soft, Vince." She growled as she turned to face him. Dark blue eyes glared at him.

"You're inside our biggest enemy's base making friends with them, Scarlett!" He whispered loudly as he took steps towards her. Scarlett let out a heavy breath before moving to sit down in the chair in the corner of the room. She crossed her knees and rested one elbow on the arm rest. Her fingers came up to tap her lips. "I heard about Project Recluse."

"Who told you?" Her eyes flickered over to meet his.

"Pierce."

"Did he send you here to try to get me to turn myself in?" Scarlett cocked her head to the side just a little. It was a dangerous gesture, one that she did when she was trying to work someone. She wanted to know his motives.

"No." Vince shook his head. "He tried to get me to come after you when you first left. He wanted me to kill you. I told him he was batshit crazy if he thought I had the skill to do that." He half chuckled, hoping to see her loosen up. The corners of her lips barely turned up. She was amused by the idea of him killing her.

"He wants me dead." She hummed softly. Her eyes left Vince to the door. "He doesn't think I'm valuable to HYDRA anymore."

"He knows you're valuable to HYDRA, Scarlett. But he also knows that you come with a risk. You have knowledge that no one else within HYDRA has. Pierce has trusted you for years and you turn your back on him for what? For parents that never wanted you?"

"I never turned my back on him." Scarlett snapped. She uncrossed her legs and placed both feet firmly on the ground. "He withheld information from me."

"He does that, you know. It's sort of his thing."

"He never kept secrets from me, Vince. That's the point. He always told me everything."

"So.... You're just upset all of a sudden because a damn life-long spy decided not to tell you something?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Vince." Scarlett rubbed her temple. He had grown up with parents. He wouldn't understand her position on the situation.

"You've changed, baby." He shook his head.

"No I haven't."

"You're in the Avengers Compound with the Avengers. They are HYDRA's number one threat right now."

Scarlett said nothing. Vince pushed himself to his feet. She watched him carefully move across the room towards her.

"The Scarlett I knew, the one I fell in love with...." He paused as he knelt down in front of Scarlett on one knee. He placed one hand upon her thigh and the other on the side of her neck. "She'd scorch the damn earth anywhere her enemies stood."

Scarlett rolled her blue eyes at him, leaning back in her chair.

"I've spoken with a bunch of agents, Scarlett. Vince brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes. "Hell even Brody Winters agrees with me, and you know how much he hates me. He and many more think the same. Pierce, Takahashi, and any of the old HYDRA blood, they need to be eliminated and you need be the one to do it. You take them out, and HYDRA is ours."

"I'm not.... There's no way I can get to Pierce without killing dozens of our agents." Scarlett shook her head, tapping her nails against the arm of the chair. "Not to mention the other Heads. They have security with them around the clock."

"Anyone who isn't with us, is against us. They deserve to die if they won't follow you." Vince pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. "We've got new agents coming in every day. It's time we show them who's boss."

Scarlett was silent as she held his green gaze. She wasn't sure if he was setting up some sort of trap or if he was being earnest.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, baby." Vince placed a kiss on the inside of her knee. "It's going to be difficult and bloody. But we can do it. You deserve the throne of HYDRA."

A soft smile crossed Scarlett's lips. When they were children, they always joked about how the Heads of HYDRA were practically royalty.

"HYDRA can be strong and powerful again, Scarlett, but only if you lead us." Vince rubbed his hand up and down her calf. Scarlett held his gaze for a few silent moments, studying him carefully.

"Who is us?"

The corner of Vince's lips turned up in a devilish smirk. He pulled a thick file out of his jacket and passed it to her.

———

It was only eight in the morning when the Avengers got out of their meeting with a handful of U.S. military personnel. They had all gotten up, much to everyone's protest, and arrived slightly on time to the meeting.

"I hate early conference calls." Tony muttered as he trudged into the cafeteria with the rest of the team behind him.

"I don't understand why we can't just wait until at least ten to do any professional work." Clint glanced down at his empty coffee cup for probably the tenth time in the last three minutes. He knew it was empty but he was silently hoping that by some miracle, the glorious caffeine he craved would magically appear.

"It's not that bad, you guys." Steve rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cap. Not all of us are old and like to be awake before the sun comes out." Tony sassed over his shoulder. He went behind the bar to start a pot of coffee only to find one had already been made. "Huh. My lucky day."

"Nat." Bucky quietly said her name and nodded to the corner of the cafeteria. Sitting at a corner booth by herself was Scarlett. She was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a fitting white long sleeve tucked into her pants. Black chunky heeled boots adorned her feet. Her knees were crossed as she held a coffee cup in one hand and gazed out of the large window in the cafeteria. Her dark hair was put back into a neat bun with a few loose strands falling around her face.

Natasha moved to get coffee, a soft smile on her lips.

Pietro was the first to approach Scarlett. Instead of coffee like the majority of his teammates, the Quicksilver opted for a bottle of water. Ever since he became enhanced, caffeine hadn't agreed with his abilities. He was jittery enough as it was.

"You look like you're thinking too hard, princessa." He sat down across the table from her. Scarlett's eyes flickered over to meet his very briefly before she looked down to her coffee. He had expected her to snap at him and tell him not to call her that, but she didn't. "Is something wrong?"

"Just didn't get much sleep."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered. She softly shook her head. "Do you have any plans for today?" She answered him again with a silent shake of her head. "Maybe you'd want to go for a walk with me around the Compound grounds. There's a beautiful lake just through the woods on the west wing."

Before Scarlett could say anything, the other Avengers were taking sits at the table with them.

"By the way, Scar, I forgot to congratulate you." Tony took a seat on one side of Bucky and Wanda sat on the other. The Iron Man took a sip of his coffee and met her gaze.

"For what?" She repeated with a raised brow.

"You saved our Sarge." Sam stood behind Bucky. He clapped his hand down on Bucky's broad shoulders with a teasing grin on his lips. "I'd be lost without my number two."

"Number two?" Bucky repeated with furrowed brows. "Who's your number one?"

"Me." Clint grinned smugly as he sat down a few seats away from Scarlett.

"Wrong. It's my man Rhodes." Sam threw himself down in a chair on the other side of Rhodey, who sat next to Tony. Rhodey rolled his eyes at Sam.

"Anyways, Scarlett." Tony brought his attention back to her. "You're doing great at becoming an Avenger. Congratulations."

Scarlett suddenly stood to her feet and left the table.

"I didn't mean to spook her, Nat." Tony looked to the Black Widow.

"It's okay, Tony." She shook her head with a little smile. "Thank you."

———

Scarlett slipped into her room and went to the bathroom. Underneath the sink folded in a towel was the folder and a disposable cell phone Vince had given her last night. Two numbers were already programmed into the phone. One was Vince's, and the other was his older brother Matt's. Scarlett pressed the button to dial a number. She knew who she wanted to talk to and his number wasn't in the phone. He had a phone that he kept specifically for her to contact him on. She only hoped he hadn't thrown the phone out when he turned his back on her.

The door to her room hissed shut. She moved to the wall of glass that overlooked the helicopter pad in the front lawn of the Compound.

 _"Scarlett. So nice of you to finally call."_ Pierce spoke. Scarlett was silent. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to be accepted back into her place in HYDRA but she didn't want to beg to be forgiven. _"I heard through the vine that Giovanni Warren's boy saw you last night. He hasn't made contact with his superior since he checked in with you."_

"I haven't killed him yet, Pierce, sir. But I will if he tries to kill me." Scarlett leaned against the glass. "He said you spoke to him about it."

_"That happens when one of our best agents go rogue. What do you hope to gain from calling me?"_

"I want answers, sir." Her voice was quiet yet anything but timid. "You knew Takahashi was sending me to get the file on Project Recluse. If you didn't want me to know, why did you give me the mission?"

_"I only wanted you to know when the time was right."_

"You turned your back on me." There was a hint of pain in her voice. Alexander Pierce had been the only person in her life who had stayed consistently through everything.

_"I did no such thing, Scarlett. You lost sight of your objective after finding out about your parents. You lost your drive."_

Her fingers curled into the arm of the chair, nails digging into the leather material.

_"Scarlett, I've always wanted to make you my successor. You have a fire in your eyes that I've never seen in another agent in all my years. You have great potential, Scarlett, but you cannot let irrational emotions get in the way of that potential."_

Scarlett dropped her gaze to her lap. She needed to make a choice. Return to HYDRA and work back the respect of her fellow agents, or remain with S.H.I.E.L.D. and work on being an Avenger.

_"In two week's time, I'll be in Brooklyn meeting with a few potential investors. If you were able to get out of the Avengers' Compound, I would be more than willing to bring you home, Scarlett."_

A knock on the door took her attention away from Pierce for a quick second. It was Pietro. His heartbeat was significantly different from everyone else's. His heartbeat sounded wike the fluttering of hummingbird wings.

"I'll see you in two weeks, sir." She hung up and tucked the phone into the chair between the armrest and the cushion. She stood to her feet and waited patiently for him to speak.

"Do you want to keep me company on that walk, princessa?"

Scarlett crossed the room and opened the door. He wore a dorkish grin on his lips. He was dressed in a pair of black joggers and a dark navy blue zip-up with white stripes down the arms. Her blue eyes flickered over him wike she was examining what he was wearing.

"As long as you don't call me that again. And drop the smile." She left her room and began to walk down the hallway with her hands in the pocket of her hoodie.

"When's the last time you smiled, Scarlett?" Pietro watched her walk away from him. Her hips swayed just slightly. Black jeans seemed to squeeze her curves in all the right places. Before she could get too far, Pietro was by her side. A gust of wind blew down the hall.

"Smiling isn't something I try to do."

"But you don't have to try to smile. It comes naturally." Pietro looked over to her. "Like when someone makes a joke."

"Were you making a joke?" She raised a brow in his direction. Pietro furrowed his brows together and shook his head.

"No.... No, I wasn't."

"Then why were you smiling?"

"Because I like hanging out with you." He pushed an exit door to the Compound open and held it for Scarlett.

"No you don't." She spoke under her breath but he heard her.

"Yes I do."

"No one _likes_ hanging out with me, Maximoff. There's always alterior motives. You don't have to lie. It won't hurt my feelings." Scarlett's eyes flickered out over the front yard. It was hot outside, a stark contrast to the frigid air within the Compound. The sun was beating down on Scarlett's skin. She always preferred the warmth to cold.

"I can promise you, Scarlett. I do like hanging out with you." Pietro unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off.

"If you are trying to get into my pants, Maximoff, I won't hesitate to cut you."

"I don't want in your tight pants, princessa." Pietro rolled his eyes at her.

Inside the Compound, the Avengers had resided to the break room designated specifically for them. Natasha stood by one of the massive window-wall in the Compound, watching the Quicksilver and her daughter cross the yard. They were making their way to the lake the Compound rested on.

"What's wrong?" Bucky quietly asked her, moving to stand next to the Widow.

"Nothing." She shook her head softly, then nodded towards their daughter. "How long do you think he's been talking to her?"

"I don't.... I don't know." Bucky shrugged his shoulders softly. "Are they....?" He trailed off, his eyes meeting Natasha's. " _Talking_ talking?"

"I doubt it." She hummed softly. "She won't open up so easily."


	16. Sixteen

Scarlett was enjoying the silence. The sound of waves hitting the rocks below drowned out the screaming thoughts in her head. She sat on top of a small cliff that overlooked the lake. Pietro was a few feet away to her left, dangling his legs over the edge.

"Can I ask you a question, Scarlett?" He quietly spoke. He expected a sarcastic but threatening reply. However, all he received was a small nod. "Do you truly believe in HYDRA? In what they do?"

Scarlett was silent for a long time. Soft blue eyes gazed out over the lake. Pietro couldn't take his focus off of her. The wind gently blew her dark hair back. Pink lips were pressed together in a firm line.

"I believe that sometimes bad things have to happen in order for goals to be met, for good things to happen. I don't agree with everything we've ever done and I certainly wouldn't praise everything I've ever done for them, but I.... I do believe in HYDRA."

"I remember when I was blind to how bad they were." Pietro leaned back on his hands. Scarlett's eyes snapped over to him as he spoke. "I was all too focused on trying to end Stark to see how terrible they are."

Scarlett rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm serious, Scarlett. They've murdered so many innocent people—,"

"I'm done having this conversation." She stood to her feet and started to leave when Pietro stopped her. He stood right in front of her.

"This conversation is one that you need to hear. Everyone inside that damned building is too afraid of you to make you mad."

"Because unlike you, they're smart enough to know how dangerous I am." Scarlett glared at him. Her fingers curled into fists by her sides. She pushed past him, making sure her shoulder bumped against his. However since she was shorter than him, her shoulder hit his bicep instead. Pietro locked his jaw for a moment. He had thought that maybe, just maybe she'd finally loosen up.

"Aren't you tired of being alone, princessa?" He turned on his heels to face her. She came to a sudden stop but didn't turn around to face him. "You push everyone away from you with your harsh words and shitty attitude. I'm only trying to help you—,"

"I never said I wanted your help." She spun around to face him. Pietro had no snarky remark or answer for her.

She didn't like the way he was looking at her. His gaze was soft and full of.... of something that wasn't anger or hatred or superiority. The vibrant blue orbs were full of an emotion she had never witnessed before. Was this the kind of thing everyone spoke about when someone who liked them looked their way? Scarlett straightened her posture and let out a soft breath.

"Everyone leaves eventually, Pietro." Her voice was soft and the way she said his name made something in his chest flutter. "There's no point it letting anyone in if they're going to disappoint you."

"But that was when you were with HYDRA, Scarlett. Here you have friends. Hell, you have two parents who are the Black Widow and the Winter Soldier. You just have to give them a chance, princessa." A little smile crossed his lips.

This boy was trying too hard to be her friend. She didn't trust him. Cute guys like him always left after they got what the wanted. Scarlett shook her head and turned away from him again.

"So you're quitting? Without even trying to make friends?" Pietro asked her. He received no answer. He let out a frustrated grunt before running to stand in front of her. "I didn't know Scarlett Rose was a quitter."

"Are you trying to make me angry?" She locked her jaw as she looked up at him.

"I'm trying to get you to understand my point of view, Scarlett." He shook his head at her. Tousled silvery curls fell into his eyes. "There's something in your eyes that fascinates me, Scarlett. Whatever it is, it's drawing me in."

She was growing frustrated with his persistance. Why wasn't he being so stubborn? Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

"I am violent, bitter, and ugly! Inside and out!" She growled through clenched teeth at him, taking a step closer to the Quicksilver. She didn't understand why he wouldn't turn and run. Everyone else would do the second she stepped towards them. Why didn't he do the same?

"Oh, princessa." A soft, heartwarming smile crossed his lips and his blue eyes twinkled as he gazed down at her. "I think you're adorable when you're angry."

For what felt like hours, the two stood toe to toe staring the other down. This boy was so stupid. Didn't he know who she was? Hadn't he heard stories about her when he was with HYDRA? No man who knew her name so much as looked in her direction, let alone flirted with her. Scarlett felt her rapid heartbeat steadily slowing down. The adrenaline and anger that had once been coursing through her veins seemed to dissipate.

"You're unbelievable." She stepped around him and started for the Compound once again. Pietro grinned in triumph. He was proud that he had won that argument. He had a feeling Scarlett Rose very rarely let anyone else win anything against her.

———

"Come on, man. We want to watch the hockey game." Clint groaned out rather dramatically. Scarlett glanced up from the magazine she had occupied herself with. With the exception of Wanda and Vision, the entire team was present in the Avengers' break room. Pietro, Peter, Thor, and Bruce had taken control of the main television. They were busy watching a soccer game.

"No way, Barton. We're almost done. Just, like, another hour and this'll be over." Pietro shook his head. Clint, Tony, Sam, and Rhodey wanted to watch a hockey game that had started ten minutes ago. Natasha, Steve, and Bucky sat at the bar in the opposite corner of the room, quietly talking about something Scarlett didn't care to listen to.

As the team bickered, Scarlett's eyes flickered around the room. Very briefly, she looked to one of the window walls in the room that looked out into the hallway. She watched agents pass but just as she was about to look away, Vince walked by. Their eyes met and he gave the slightest nod of his head for her to follow him. Scarlett placed the magazine down on the table beside her chair and stood to her feet. With the petty arguing going on, Scarlett was able to slip out of the room unnoticed.

She trailed behind Vince, careful to keep enough distance between them. He slipped into a dark room. Scarlett hesitantly looked up and down the hall before following him. It was so dark inside the room that she couldn't see at first. Her eyes needed time to adjust. A firm hand on her abdomen shoved her back into the wall. She could feel his breath against her face, hear his elevated heartbeat. He was angry about something.

"What the hell were you doing out with that Maximoff guy?" He hissed. His hand on her toned stomach held her against the wall.

"Get your damn hands off me, Vincent, before I break it off." She threatened in a low voice. He didn't comply at first but when he did retract his hand, Scarlett stepped away from the wall and towards him. She didn't like being cornered like and animal.

"I saw you out there with him." Vince spoke through his teeth.

"I'm allowed to talk to other men, Vince. Just like you're allowed to talk to Agent Bellamy." Scarlett held his intense gaze. He was known within HYDRA for his anger problems. His were nothing compared to Scarlett's. He'd throw and break things and raise his voice to get his point across. Scarlett wasn't going to tolerate his tantrums, not when they were on enemy territory.

Agent Bellamy had been a woman Vince saw while he was with Scarlett, just a few months before they were to get married.

"Leave her out of this."

"I'm not dealing with this, Vince." Scarlett shook her head as she loved around him. Vince grabbed her arm and slammed her against the wall. His hand wrapped firmly around her throat. Scarlett didn't react. Her palms were pressed flat against the wall behind her. Dark blue eyes were glaring daggers at the man. His grip on her was enough to cause discomfort and to make breathing difficult but it wouldn't cause her any harm.

"I got enough shit when people found out you'd been captured by those asshole Avengers the first time. You will not form any attachments to them what so ever." Vince growled. "Know your place, Agent Rose. You're nothing more to these people than an enemy within their own walls. Act like it."

He let her go and turned to leave the room. Scarlett's jaw was locked so tight that her teeth hurt. She wanted to hurt him for even thinking about putting his hands on her. But she'd need a better reason to kill Giovanni Warren's son.

———

The warm sunny weather outside quickly turned to a thunderstorm in a matter of hours. Scarlett was standing at the end of the sleeping quarters hallway. Her arms were crossed but one hand came up to hold her neck. She knew there were bruises where his hands had been.

"What are you looking at, princessa?"

Scarlett turned her head to look at Pietro. He approached her with a dorkish grin on his lips.

"I like thunderstorms." She stated. Her eyes flickered back to the dark cloud that lingered over the lake. Lightning shot across the sky. "They're peaceful."

Just as she had finished speaking, a crack of thunder rumbled the floor beneath her feet. Pietro found himself smiling softly at her. Of course she found thunderstorms peaceful.

"Pietro? Have you ever loved someone?" Her voice was so quiet and timid that Pietro almost didn't hear her.

"A long time ago." He nodded his head softly. His eyes followed hers to look out over the lake. "Why do you ask?"

Scarlett shook her head. Her fingers feathered over the bruises on her neck. Pietro furrowed his brows together and stepped towards her.

"Scarlett, are those.... Who the hell put their hands on you?"

"A dead man." She took a slow deep breath. "He just doesn't know it yet."

Pietro furrowed his brows together. Her tone was confusing him. She never sounded so timid and weak before. What was wrong with her? He watched her close her eyes and take a few even breaths.

"Scarlett—,"

"I'm fine." She firmly cut him off before he could even get his sentence out. She turned on her heels and stormed down the hallway.

———

_Scarlett was sitting in a chair in the middle of the dark room. The air was bitter and cold. Her pin-straight dark brown hair fell gracefully down to her elbows. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a hoodie with the red HYDRA logo on the chest. Behind her, she could hear Pierce talking with someone else, a man with a Russian accent._

_"How old is she?"_

_"Twelve." Pierce answered._

_"She's younger than all the other subjects." The unknown man commented. "What makes you think she'd survive even a minute with the Asset?"_

_"She's been training for this her whole life. She fights in eleven different fighting styles. Right now, she's working on her twelfth."_

_A small smirk crossed Scarlett's lips. She knew she was the right person for the program._

_"It says here she has enhancements. What would those be? Increased strength?"_

_"Everything about this girl is enhanced, Colonel. Her muscles, reflexes, sight, hearing, even her instincts. She's the perfect weapon."_

_There was a pause in their conversation. Scarlett knew the two men were watching her._

_"Colonel, you'd be wasting valuable resources if you didn't take Scarlett in for the program."_

_"Before I make my decision, I'd like to see her fight."_

_"Of course. Agent Ramirez will take you to the training room." Pierce spoke._

_"I'll bring her, Alex." A soft female voice spoke. Scarlett listened as three different people walked away. "Scarlett?"_

_"Yes, ma'am?" She rose from her chair and turned to face the Governess. She was a petite woman with blonde, almost white hair and gray eyes. She was in a black trench oat and high heels. Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun._

_"Come with me, my child." The Governess held her hand out for Scarlett. She nodded her head once and put her hand in the Governess'. "How much of the conversation did you hear, Scarlett?"_

_"Everything, ma'am." She answered honestly. The Governess came to a stop and for a second, Scarlett feared she'd said the wrong thing._

_"Good." The Governess put her hand down on Scarlett's shoulder and knelt down to her level. "Do you understand what is at risk here?"_

_"Yes, ma'am." She nodded her head._

_"I expect your absolute best in here, my sweet. Do not disappoint me."_

_"I won't, ma'am." Scarlett watched her stand back up and start to walk down the hallway again. "May I ask you a question, ma'am?"_

_"Of course you may."_

_"Who was that man? The colonel?"_

_"A very powerful man, Scarlett." The Governess hummed. "He's the handler of our greatest accomplishment."_

_"The Asset." Scarlett nodded her head softly. "Am I going to meet him?"_

_"You're going to fight him and you are going to win." The Governess pushed the door to the training room open. "If you don't, you will lose your life."_

_"I never lose, ma'am." Scarlett tied her hair back into a ponytail._

_"I know." The Governess put her hand on Scarlett's shoulder once more, smiling softly at the little girl. "You're a survivor."_

_Scarlett watched as two men moved across the room. One was dressed in a military style uniform. The other was in all black. His hair fell around his face. His eyes were dark and piercing all at the same time. Her eyes flickered to Pierce and then the Governess, who was moving towards them. Scarlett stopped a safe distance away from the trio of men. Her stomach churned with anxiety but she pushed the feeling aside. This had to be done. She needed to do this._

_"начать." {"Begin"—Russian} The man in the military uniform spoke. He clasped his hands behind his back. Scarlett's eyes flickered to Pierce, who nodded his head once. She slid one foot back just slightly and distributed her weight evenly. The man in black approached her quick and without warning. Scarlett's heart raced as she watched the monstrous man near her._

"Scarlett?" A hand on her shoulder gently tried to shake her awake. Her eyes flew open and she pushed the hand off of her. It was Bucky. Her hands found the arms of the chair, gripping them tightly as she tried to remember that she needed to breathe. Bucky could see the panic in her eyes. "Hey, kid. You okay?"

Scarlett rubbed her right arm. It was aching with the memories of when she had first unknowingly met her father.

"No." She answered honestly and with a little shake of her head. "But I will be."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Scarlett stiffly shook her head. Her eyes flickered around the room as she tried to remember where she was. She cursed under her breath when she realized she was back in the training room. She hadn't meant to fall asleep.

"No." She shook her head. She could feel the heat of anger stirring in her stomach. It was the dream. "I want to start running. I.... I think that might help me get rid of the extra energy I put into getting mad."

"Okay." Bucky nodded his head. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. "You wanna start getting up with me in the mornings to do that?"

Scarlett silently nodded her head. Bucky found himself smiling softly as he gazed at her. This was his child. She was his daughter.

"I wish.... I wish things were different." Bucky looked down at his hands. "I know it's difficult for you. This is.... It's hard for me too. But I want you to know that I wish I could change what happened."

"I'm over it, to be completely honest." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders softly. "You didn't have control over your actions. Besides, it's not like it never happened before you showed up."

Bucky was silent for a few moments, allowing her words to sink in.

"I just want you to know that I'm-I'm proud of who you're allowing yourself to become." He stood to his feet and left the room. Scarlett slowly leaned back into her chair, her eyes lingering on him. Her fingers curled into the arm of the chair.

She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to be a better person. There was a part of her that desperately wanted to have a family that didn't change with her kills. She wanted a family that didn't encourage her to take lives or piss her off every time she was around them.

However, there was another part within her that didn't mind the violence that came with HYDRA. It was the only thing she knew, and oddly enough, the only thing she found solace is sometimes. A happy family doesn't always mean each member of the family got along, right?


	17. Seventeen

"You're looking more chipper than usual." Tony commented as he took a seat next to Natasha. The Black Widow smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Scarlett and Bucky went for a run this morning."

"She's the only one other than me who can keep up with him." Steve commented. "She's fast."

"Your light jog is a full blown sprint, man." Sam shook his head. "I don't play those games."

"She seems to be adjusting pretty well." Bruce sat down on the other side of Tony.

"Look who it is." Sam directed everyone's attention to the door of the cafeteria. Bucky was just walking into the room. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. There was a soft smile on his lips, one that didn't go unnoticed by his peers.

"You're glowing, Sarge." Tony teased, causing Bucky to roll his eyes.

"What's got you grinning so much?" Natasha watched him take a seat across from her.

"She smiled, like _actually_ smiled."

"How did you get her to do that?"

"I.... I tripped over a tree root." Bucky rubbed the back of his head.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Sam muttered under his breath.

"Where is she right now?" Natasha asked.

"She went to her room."

"Here comes trouble." A small flirty grin crossed Sam's lips as he watched Maria Hill enter the room. Behind her were nearly a dozen armed agents.

"What's going on, Maria?" Steve asked her. Natasha shifted around in her seat, her eyes flickering very briefly to Bucky.

"I've got two dead agents in the lab three floors down." Hill let out a soft sigh. She handed a small folder to Natasha. Inside the folder were the names and all the information S.H.I.E.L.D. had on the two deceased agents. There were also pictures from the scene of their deaths. One had been stabbed and was laying in a pool of his own blood. The other appeared to have his neck broken. "Where is Scarlett?"

"You think she did this?" Natasha furrowed her brows together. "When did this happen?"

"Early this morning, between four and six."

"She was up with me at 5:30 this morning." Bucky said. "It couldn't have been her."

"I'd like to talk to her, if you both are okay with it." Hill looked between the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow. They both shared a small glance but neither said anything for a while.

"Only if I'm there with her." Natasha stood to her feet. She passed the file back to Hill.

"She isn't being arrested, Natasha. I just want to ask her questions."

"And you can do that, as long as I'm with her." Natasha left the room without another word.

"Am I really that much of an asshole?" Hill huffed as she looked back to the Avengers.

"No, Maria. You aren't." Steve shook his head softly. "You're just looking out for your agents. She's doing the same for her daughter."

———

Scarlett finished braiding her long dark hair. She tied the braid at the end and threw it over her shoulder to get it out of her way. Her hair was wet from her morning shower. Dressed in a pair of black joggers and a gray long sleeve, Scarlett left her room with the intention of going to the cafeteria where she was sure the rest of the Avengers were.

Someone wrapped their arm around her neck and something pinched the back of her bicep. Scarlett spun around to push the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent away. Her vision began to blur and the hallway spun. There were four agents standing further down the hall, watching her. She stumbled into the nearest wall, her hand flying out to catch herself. However, the wall was further away and all she managed to do was hit her head against the steel wall on her way down to the floor.

"Damn it, Aubrey. How much did you put in that thing?"

"She's enhanced, Fuller. I put six times the dose for a normal person."

"We'll be lucky if she doesn't fucking die from that shit, man."

One of the agents used their foot to turn Scarlett over on to her back. This one was a man. He knelt down next to her, his eyes examining her features. Scarlett managed to summon enough strength to push him away.

"You should've given her more! What the hell are we going to do if she regains the ability to move?"

"Shut your mouth, Connor, and pick her up. We need to get her out of the hallway."

Scarlett tried desperately to keep her eyes open but it was no use. Her eyelids were so heavy and she felt exhausted.

———

Scarlett jumped awake when she felt icy cold water splash her face. She immediately tried to stand up but she found herself bound to a metal pole. Scarlett's chest rose and fell with every breath she took. Darkened blue eyes flickered around the room to inspect her surroundings. She was in what appeared to be some sort of boiler room. Standing a few feet away from her were the four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had attacked her.

"Nice of you to finally wake up, Sleeping Beauty." The tallest man spoke. He was nearly six foot six with a blonde crew cut and muscular build.

"You have to be new to this whole S.H.I.E.L.D.-HYDRA thing." Scarlett relaxed against the pole as best as she could. She wasn't going to let these asshole agents intimidate her.

"What makes you say that?" The only woman, a short but slim built brunette, spoke. She stood towards the back of the group.

"You must not know who I am. If you did, you wouldn't be stupid enough to kidnap me and leave me alive."

"Oh, we know who you are. Scarlett Rose." A bald man with almond eyes pushed himself off of the wall across the room. He carried a knife in his hand and his fingers tightened around it as he neared her. "We've met before. Prague, two years ago. You killed my partner."

"Sorry, sweetheart. I don't remember you." Scarlett said. The agent backhanded her out of anger.

"She's not worth it, Aubrey." The woman let out a sigh of frustration. "What if someone notices we're gone?"

"They're too busy searching the Compound for her." The man kneeling in front of Scarlett shook his head. This was Aubrey. His brown eyes were dark and filled with anger and rage. Scarlett knew that look. He wanted her dead.

"She killed Jenkins and Hargrave. We shouldn't be risking our careers just because of her." The third man, who had remained silent until then, spoke. He was fair skinned with brunette hair. He appeared younger than the other agents. "Let's get this over with so we can dump her body in the lake before anyone suspects a thing."

"Look." Scarlett sighed out. "I know you're angry about what I've done in the past and I don't blame you. But I'm kind of trying to get better—,"

"Trying my ass!" Aubrey shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. "You killed two more of our agents–of our brothers–this morning, you stupid bitch!"

"I didn't kill anyone this morning." Scarlett furrowed her brows together. Aubrey grabbed a fistful of her hair and roughly jerked her head at a sharp and awkward angle upwards. Scarlett locked her jaw tightly.

"You have those pictures, Connor?" Aubrey wanted to hit her again but he stopped himself.

"Yeah." The younger agent nodded his head. He looked through his phone very quickly before handing it to Aubrey.

"Try telling me you didn't do shit this morning, bitch." Aubrey held the phone in front of Scarlett's face.

"I'd love to take credit for that handy work, but I don't claim what I don't do."

Aubrey let her go with a rough shove. Scarlett took a deep breath. She was growing frustrated.

"I don't know who killed your friends, but I didn't do it."

"You're such a lying bitch!" The female agent spat. "Fucking HYDRA filth."

"I'm growing really, really impatient with you guys." Scarlett put her head back against the pole she was tied to. Her fingers began to mess with a knot near her hands. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I want you to know that the second I get loose.... You all are in some pretty deep shit."

Aubrey hit her again but with his fist this time. Scarlett could taste metal in her mouth. She was bleeding. As she shifted around on the floor, she could feel something in her back pocket. It was a pocket knife she had stolen from Clint Barton two days ago.

"Does that make you feel good, Agent Aubrey?" She looked up at him through her dark lashes. She managed to pull the knife out of her pocket without anyone noticing. "Putting your hands on women? Does that get you off, agent?"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

"Oh, I really think I want you to make me." Scarlett smirked. She was surprised these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hadn't noticed her sawing away at her binds with a knife. Aubrey pulled his gun off of his hip and pointed it at Scarlett. She stared down the barrel of his pistol, her eyes glued to him as she stopped moving. She didn't neccesarily want to die, but she wasn't going to let these agents scare her. She felt the rope around her wrists loosen. She had finally cut through it. "Do it, baby. It'll make you feel so much better, won't it?"

Aubrey took a few steps towards her until the barrel of the gun was pressed to Scarlett's forehead.

"You bitch." He cursed quietly, shaking his head. Scarlett used her right hand to push the gun away from her while her left hand came around to stab Aubrey in his side and then again in his neck. Blood spurted out from the fatal wound on his neck. Scarlett grabbed the front of his shirt and held his body up as a human shield as the other agents drew their weapons.

"You're a dead bitch!"

Scarlett took a few even breaths to calm herself down. She needed to be levelheaded for this to work. She needed to be in control. Scarlett peeked around the dead agent's shoulder to see where everyone stood. Two had taken cover while the youngest agent, Connor, stood out in the open with his gun drawn. Scarlett threw her knife at him. The blade sunk deep into his chest but not before he shot his gun. The echoing bang from the weapon was bound to draw attention.

Scarlett let Aubrey's body hit the floor. She pulled the large knife off of his holster and moved to kneel behind a metal barrel. She closed her eyes as she listened for the two other agents. She could hear their hearts beating rapidly. They were scared. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"We have the upper hand, Scarlett. It would be in your best interests to just surrender yourself now."

"No thank you." Scarlett gripped the knife in her hand tightly.

Something suddenly plowed into her side, knocking her to the floor. It was the agent with the crew cut. The force behind his tackle caused her to lose the knife in her hand. He held a gun in one of his hands as he tried to hold Scarlett down with the other. He managed to put the tip of the gun against her head but Scarlett pushed his arm away. He pulled the trigger and a chest-vibrating bang pierced Scarlett's ears. She dislodged the gun from the agent's hand but his hands wrapped around her neck. Scarlett turned her head in search for the knife she had just before he tackled her. It was laying on the ground to her right. Scarlett brought her eyes back up to the agent trying to kill her. Breathing was difficult and black dots started to spot her vision. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife. She plunged the knife into the agent's side and then again into his chest between the second and third rib on the right side.

The agent sputtered out blood for a moment before his entire body weight fell on to Scarlett. She pushed him off of her with a grunt. She grabbed ahold of the hilt of the knife. It was sticking out of his chest. She pulled it out and pushed herself to her feet. The only agent left alive, the female one, was laying on the floor, struggling to breathe. She had been hit with a bullet, most likely the one the crew cut man had shot when Scarlett pushed his arm away from her.

Scarlett stood in the middle of the scene, her eyes flickering from body to body. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife. Her breathing became labored with anger.

"Do you know how long I have been trying not to do this?" She raised her voice at the female agent. She gestured to herself with the tip of the knife, tapping it against her chest carelessly. "I have struggled for so damn long trying not to kill you stupid assholes! Why did you make me do this? _Why_!"

"You'll-You will never change." The agent choked out. A trail of blood trickled down out of the corner of her lips. "Killing is-is in your na-nature."

Scarlett watched as the agent took her last breaths. Scarlett's knees felt weak and unable to support her. Her stomach churned and twisted. She felt the urge to vomit. The knife slipped from her grasp and fell to the steel floor. The loud clank bounced off of the metal walls. Scarlett dropped to her knees, her hands coming up to cover her face. She had tried to so hard. She had fault all of her urges to get rid of anyone who irritated her. Natasha and Bucky were so happy that she was trying. Bucky was even proud of her.

This would ruin everything.


	18. Eighteen

Natasha pushed the door to boiler room open. The room was located in the basement of the Compound. With one hand holding a flashlight and the other her gun, she led the way down the stairs.

"She's here." Wanda said. She was right behind he Widow.

"Is she alone?" Bucky asked.

"Yes."

Natasha turned a corner and stopped in her tracks.

"James." She said his name quietly. Bucky moved past Wanda to be at Natasha's side. There were four dead bodies laying on the floor. In the center was Scarlett. She was on her knees with her arms by her sides and her head hanging. "Scarlett?"

"I didn't want to." She whispered, shaking her head softly as she rocked herself back and forth. "I-I swear I didn't—,"

"It's okay, sweetheart." Natasha cautiously moved towards her daughter. She kicked the knife away from Scarlett before kneeling down in front of her. "What happened, Scarlett?" The HYDRA assassin shook her head. Natasha hesitantly reached out to touch Scarlett's shoulder. Much to the Widow's surprise, Scarlett instantly melted into her arms, allowing Natasha to hold her close and hold her tight.

"Is she bleeding?" Bucky asked. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Wanda was still with them, but the Witch was gone.

"It's not mine." Scarlett answered.

"Tell us what happened, Scarlett." Natasha urged. Scarlett pulled herself out of the Widow's arms and sat back on her knees.

"Dumbasses jumped me. Gave me some kind of tranquilizer to knock me out. They wanted to kill me because they thought I killed two of their own." Scarlett pushed herself to her feet and took a deep breath. "What's.... What's going to happen?"

"This was self defense." Bucky said. Natasha softly shook her head as she brought her gaze to him.

"When word gets out that she killed four agents today, no matter the reason, she's going to be targeted. It's not safe here for her."

"Then what do we do? Where do we go?"

"I'll leave." Scarlett whispered, bringing her eyes to Natasha.

"And go where? Back to HYDRA? I don't think so." The redhead shook her head. "Let me talk to the others. Maybe they'll have some suggestions. You take her to her room."

Bucky nodded his head and shifted his gaze to Scarlett.

"Do you need—,"

"No, I don't." She cut him off firmly, moving past him to stomp up the stairs.

———

"What's going on, Nat?" Steve asked. She had sent a text message to him and Tony telling them to meet her in one of the empty break rooms.

"Scarlett can't stay here any longer." Natasha closed the door behind herself. "I thought giving her the freedom to roam the halls as she pleased would be good for her but.... I guess trouble just follows her around. She was attacked by four agents and taken to the boiler room. They were going to kill her, but she got them first."

"Is she okay?" Tony furrowed his brows together.

"Yeah. I think she's just angry with herself right now." Natasha sat down on the sofa next to Tony. "But I don't want to put Hill in a difficult spot. I'm not going to keep Scarlett here any longer."

"Where do you plan on taking her?" Steve leaned forward in his seat with his elbows on his knees.

"I don't know." Natasha answered with a forced smile. "I don't know, Steve. I don't trust her enough to let her out anywhere with civilians but I don't think I have that luxury right now."

"I know a place." Tony turned his head to look at his close friend. "My place in Malibu. I hear we're due for a vacation anyways."

"Tony, I can't ask you to do that." Natasha shook her head.

"Then don't. Let me help you." Tony stood to his feet. "I'll call Pepper and talk to her about it a little more, but I'm positive we'll be able to make it work. Besides, I think we could all use the California sun."

"It's the same sun we get here, Tony." Steve told him.

"It is with that attitude."

———

Bucky stood outside of Scarlett's bedroom. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. Peter and Pietro were making their way down the hallway when Pietro caught sight of the Winter Soldier.

"I heard you two found her." He said.

"Is she okay, Mr. Barnes?" Peter asked. The sounds of something heavy hitting the door made Peter jump. It sounded like she was destroying the room. Bucky let out a sigh before nodding his head.

"She's working through it."

Inside the bedroom, Scarlett was trying to contain her anger. Surely Natasha and Bucky wouldn't want her around anymore. She killed three agents. She wasn't ready for their confrontation. She wasn't ready to be kicked out because of something she had no say in.

As Scarlett moved towards the bathroom, she swung her hand out to swat the lamp off of the stand by her bed. It hit the floor and shattered into a billion pieces. She jerked open the door to the bathroom and went to the cupboard underneath the sink. Neatly folded towels were shoved aside until she found the burner cell phone given to her by Vince. She stayed on her knees in the floor of the bathroom for a few heartbeats. She wasn't going to sit by and let these low lives make her into a prisoner. She was Scarlett Rose after all. No one could make her their prisoner.

Swallowing the emotions that threatened to make themselves known, Scarlett stood to her feet and went to the bedroom. She changed out of her bloody clothes and into a pair of fitting skinny jeans and a black skin tight long sleeve. She pulled her hair out of the braid and instead opted for a neat ballerina bun on the top of her head.

The three Avengers standing outside of her room watched her walk out of her room. Bucky pushed himself off of the wall and started to follow her.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk." She answered flatly.

"Princessa, what—," Before Pietro could get his question out, Scarlett turned around to face him. The short angry woman seemed to glare up at him with a dark and hostile gaze, one that he had never seen directed his way before.

"Call me that again, lab rat, and I am going to cut your tongue out of your head." She spat through clenched teeth. She turned to storm down the hall. Pietro wasn't ready to give up. He wanted to know what was wrong. However, Bucky stopped him.

"I would leave her alone for a little while, kid. She needs time to breathe."

"Her lip was busted and it looked like she got a cut on her forehead. Did she get hurt, Mr. Barnes?" Peter furrowed his brows together.

"No. It takes a lot more than a few cuts and bruises to hurt her. She's tough."

———

After searching the Compound, Pietro found Scarlett on the roof. It was barely noon. The sun was shining bright overhead. She stood near the edge of the roof, her hands by her sides and her eyes on the lake.

"What are you doing up here?" Pietro stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as he crossed the roof to her.

"Thinking." She answered him quietly.

"I heard about what happened. I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Me too." She whispered. Pietro came to a stop on the edge of the roof to her left. "I was doing so good."

"Just because this happened doesn't mean you can't keep doing good. Scarlett, there's a light in you. I can see it."

"There is nothing inside me." She shook her head ever so slightly. He could see tears in her eyes but she was doing a good job at holding them back. "Just emptiness."

"Then you find something that makes you happy and you fill that emptiness."

"What makes you happy?"

"My sister." Pietro answered immediately. "The Avengers. And talking to you."

Scarlett dryly laughed. She didn't believe him.

"You asked me yesterday if I had ever been in love. Have you?"

"No." Her answer was flat and void of any emotion. Pietro's heart jumped to his throat when she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was so close to the edge, so close to falling off.

"Scarlett, I don't think you should be that close to the edge."

"I'm not going to jump, if that's what you're thinking." She shook her head. "Killing myself would be too easy."

"Scarlett, I think there's good in you." Pietro spoke. She turned to face him, her cold and emotionless eyes finding his.

"You're the only person in the world stupid enough to believe that." She whispered.

"You saved Barnes from falling off the roof. From what I heard, the Winter Soldier was never kind to you. You could've easily let him fall to his death. But you didn't. You saved him. Back when we were at the Tower, you had the chance to kill all of us. But you didn't."

Scarlett turned to walk away but Pietro took ahold of her wrist and pulled her back to him. They stood toe to toe. He looked down at her, studying her blue eyes while she gazed up at him. Her lips parted with as small breath left her lips. Pietro let go of her wrist, his fingers ghosting up her arm, over her shoulder, and up the side of her neck. She tilted her head to the side just slightly, her eyes closing as he placed his hand on her jaw. His skin was warm and his touch was soft. He was the only person she had ever come across who treated her like something more than an emotionless machine.

"I want to know you, princessa."

"No, you don't." She brought her hand up to place it on the back of his. She pulled his hand away from her face and stepped away from him. "I've had a long day, Maximoff. I'm going to my room."

Pietro watched her walk towards the door and slip back into the Compound. A soft sigh escaped his lips.


	19. Nineteen

Scarlett ignored the eyes of the agents she passed as she made her way through the underground HYDRA facility in Massachusetts. There were agents standing outside of an office, preventing anyone unwelcomed from getting in.

"I'm here to see Pierce." Scarlett stopped just a few feet away from the guards. They stepped aside and opened the door for her.

"Scarlett, what a nice surprise." Takahashi stood up from the chair he was sitting in. Scarlett ignored him, her eyes finding Pierce's.

"I wasn't aware we had a meeting today, Agent Rose." Pierce eyed her carefully.

"I couldn't maintain my position at the Avengers' Compound anymore, sir." Scarlett clasped her hands together behind her back. "I needed to leave."

"Well I'm glad to have you back, agent. I was just talking to Reo here about a few upcoming assignments that require some of our best agents."

"I have agents in mind, sir." Takahashi sat back down in his seat and opened a file in his lap. "Agent Melanie Andersson from our London field office—,"

"Agent Andersson nearly compromised her position within MI-6 in 2014." Scarlett cut him off. "With your terrible judgment, I'm surprised you've managed to keep your life here at HYDRA, let alone your position."

Takahashi stood to his feet and stepped towards Scarlett, pointing a finger in her face.

"You've got some nerve coming in here and talking to me like that after you've spent the last two months with the Avengers—,"

Scarlett grabbed his hand and spun him around to slam his head down on Pierce's desk. She twisted his arm painfully behind his back, her opposite hand pressing in between his shoulder to keep his head down.

"Don't make me snap your arm, Takahashi." Scarlett spoke through her teeth.

"That's enough, Agent Rose." Pierce leaned back in his seat as he watched the whole scene play out. "Give us a moment, Reo." Pierce's gaze briefly left Scarlett to look at Takahashi. Without a word, the angry agent stormed out of the room. "Scarlett, I believe you have it in you to be one of the best leaders we've ever had. You're smart, you're cunning, and you are ruthless. You know how to make difficult decisions and you work well under stress. But this little slip up with the Avengers, it can't be tolerated, my dear."

"Sir, it wasn't a slip up—,"

"It was an attempt to gain a connection with your parents." Pierce cut her off. "I understand, Scarlett. I really do. But it was a sign of weakness and I can't allow you to take on a leadership role within our rank because of it."

Scarlett's fists curled tightly behind her back but she said nothing. She was so angry with him. Why wouldn't he make the exception for her? She was the best choice and he knew it. However, she also understood where he was coming from. If any other agent had been in her place, Scarlett wouldn't want them immediately put into such an important role afterwards. She didn't deserve special treatment. There was nothing special about her.

"Until I believe that you've recovered from this minor setback, I want you in the field where you belong." Pierce opened a drawer on the desk and shuffled through it. "I have a list of threats that need eliminated."

"Yes sir."

———

_ One Day Later _   
_Valencia, Spain_

"Así es, Marissa. Tres senadores estadounidenses fueron encontrados muertos en sus habitaciones en el Hostal El Puenta en Valencia, España, temprano esta mañana. Todavía no está claro qué sucedió exactamente anoche, pero la policía está trabajando para—,"{ _"That's right, Marissa. Three U.S. senators were found dead in their rooms at the El Puenta Hostal in Valencia, Spain early this morning. It's still unclear of what exactly happened last night, but police are working to—,"}_

Scarlett turned the television off. She sat on the edge of the bed in her hotel room, checking her weapons and making sure they were in proper working order. Her phone buzzed on the bed next to her.

"What?" She put the caller on speaker so she could finish going through her weapons before leaving Spain.

 _"It's good to hear you're back in business, baby."_ Vince spoke _. "I was beginning to worry about you."_

"No need to worry. I'm fine." Scarlett pushed a magazine of bullets into a glock and placed the weapon down on the bed.

_"I heard about Pierce punishing you for being with the Avengers."_

"I don't want to talk about it,Vince."

_"Okay. That's fine. Are you busy tonight?"_

"No, but I have to be in Brazil by noon tomorrow."

_"Can you swing by Houston on your way through? There's a little meeting thing going on involving some of the agents wanting to change the way things are done."_

Scarlett bit her bottom lip for a moment, her eyes finding the window.

_"You there, Scarlett?"_

"Yeah." She nodded her head, her gaze flickering down to her phone. "Yeah, I'm here. Um, send me the address and the time and I'll be there."

_"Great. See you tonight, baby."_

Scarlett watched as the call ended and the screen to her phone turned black. She didn't want to attend the meeting. More than likely, it would be packed with agents who didn't know shit about HYDRA or newbies wanting to be a part of something they knew nothing about.

Though it had only been a little less than twenty-four hours that she had been back with HYDRA, Scarlett felt like she didn't belong there anymore. There was something about her return that changed her place within HYDRA. She needed to regain the fear of every other agent in the organization.

———

Scarlett made her way towards Duran's Tavern. It was the name of the location the meeting was going to be at. She was given directions by Vince to enter the bar and go straight to the door at the back of the bar labeled _private_. Her black heeled boots clicked against the tile as she moved swiftly through the bar. As she neared the door at the back of the room, two large and rather hefty men stepped in front of the door.

"Sorry, princess. Private party." The first one crossed his arms over his chest in an effort to intimidate her. He had a Russian accent. Scarlett put on a kind smile and pulled her leather jacket back, revealing not only her tight black corset top that seemed to just barely hold her breasts in, but also a large knife.

"I'm not afraid to gut you like a pig in front of all these people."

The man glanced to his friend who had remained silent but chose to stare at Scarlett like she was a piece of meat and he was a starving dog. The silent one met his friend's gaze and a disturbing smirk crossed his lips.

"That's adorable, princess." The man lifted up his shirt to show her the gun tucked into his pants. "But you don't scare me."

"Call me princess one more time, dickwad, and I'll cut your tongue out of your head." Scarlett stepped closer to him. The door behind the man opened and Vince stepped out.

"Whoa, whoa, boys. She's one of us." Vince slipped between the two men. He wrapped one arm around Scarlett's waist and in one smooth movement, pulled their bodies together and kissed her. Scarlett brought her hand up to his shoulder and pushed him away.

"I'm not in the mood right now, Vince." She shook her head.

"Fine. Come with me." Vince led the way into the back room. Scarlett stopped as soon as she stepped into the room. She didn't expect to see so many agents present. There were close to three dozen people in the room.

"Wow. You had quite the turn out." She eyed everyone individually. "How long have you been organizing this?"

"A few months." Vince answered. "We're tired of the old ways. HYDRA's going to burn if we don't do something to change it."

"I don't get why we're letting her lead us, Vince!" An agent at the back of the room raised his voice. "She's turned her back on HYDRA!"

"What's your name, agent?" Scarlett clasped her hands together behind her back.

"Agent Dean Blanche, ma'am." The agent answered sarcastically.

"How long have you been with HYDRA, Agent Blanche?" Scarlett began to take steps towards him. The group of agents between her and Agent Blanche parted to allow her to walk across the room.

"Eight months, ma'am."

"Who told you I turned my back on HYDRA, Agent Blanche?"

"That's all anyone's been talking about recently. You've been with the Avengers." He straightened his posture and squared his shoulders. Scarlett stopped barely a foot away from him, glaring down at the man. In her six inch boots, he was shorter than her.

"I don't take criticism very well, Agent Blanche." Scarlett spoke softly to him. She pulled the knife on Agent Blanche's hip out of the holster and brought it down on his collarbone. "Especially from agents who don't deserve my attention."

Agent Blanche dropped to his knees, his eyes wide and his mouth open as he struggled to speak. Blood poured from the wound to his collar. Scarlett turned her back on him and started to walk towards Vince again. There was a dark and dangerous smirk on her lips, one that he enjoyed.

"Would anyone else like to say anything?" Scarlett turned to face the group as she stopped next to Vince. Her eyes scanned the crowd. Agents looked away, avoiding her gaze. "I didn't think so."


	20. Twenty

_ Two Days Later _   
_Northern California_

Scarlett flipped through an agent's file, her eyes scanning briefly over mission reports and skillsets. Vince had given her files of every agent who joined their forming rebellion, and Scarlett had been looking through them for the last two hours.

"Baby." Vince muttered, sleepily rubbing his face. He propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes finding Scarlett. She sat at the foot of the bed in nothing but a pair of black underwear and a white tank top. Her hair had been put up into a ponytail but it was steadily falling out. "What are you doing?"

"Studying." She answered quietly, turning the page in the file.

"What? It's almost three in the morning."

"I'm not tired." Her fingers tapped against her lips. Vince let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

"The files you gave me."

Vince pushed himself into a sitting position and leaned forward to kiss Scarlett's bare shoulder.

"I missed you, baby." When she said nothing, Vince continued to place gentle kisses along her shoulder and up the side of her neck. "Something else is on your mind. You're being distant. What is it?" Scarlett said nothing, leaning away from him as she closed the file and picked up a new one. "Are you giving me the silent treatment, Scarlett?"

"I just don't want to talk right now, Vince. There's a lot on my plate and I don't want to get mad at you."

"Then talk to me about whatever it is." Vince studied her face even though she refused to look at him. "Is it Pierce?"

"He's disappointed in me, Vince." Scarlett whispered, shaking her head softly. "I can just.... I can see it in his eyes."

"I'm sorry, baby." Vince tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "But he's really not worth the time and effort, sweetheart. In a few months, he's going to be out of the picture anyways. You won't have to worry about him anymore because you will be the sole leader of HYDRA." His teeth gently brushed over her pulse right under the place where her jaw and neck met. "You'll lead us to greatness."

"You think so?" Scarlett turned her head to him, gazing at him through her lashes.

"Baby, I know so." He smirked, leaning in to kiss her. She accepted the kiss, her hand finding the side of his neck. Vince took ahold of her waist and pulled her into his lap. His hands gripped her thighs as his lips left hers and trailed down the front of her neck.

———

Scarlett was up again before the sun even came up. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, combat boots, and a fitting black long sleeve. Her hair had been tied back into a sleek high bun. As she approached the door to Pierce's office, the two men standing outside tensed up.

"Mr. Pierce is on a conference call." One of them told her as he opened the door. Scarlett stepped inside.

 _"I don't understand why you've got so much trust in Agent Rose, Alexander."_ A woman spoke. _"She found out who her birth parents are and why she is who she is. Who says she won't turn on us just like the Maximoffs did?"_

Pierce's eyes met Scarlett's. He nodded to the chair in front of his desk. She took a seat and crossed her knees.

"Agent Rose is different from the twins. She's been loyal to HYDRA her entire life and while I am disappointed with her recent behavior, I have no doubt that she'll easily make it up to us."

 _"Giovanni Warren's youngest son told him that Scarlett was flirting with Pietro Maximoff."_ A male said. _"If she's gained any sort of attachment to him then she's been compromised—,"_

"I can assure you that she hasn't, Gideon." Pierce leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Scarlett is too smart to form romantic bonds. I hate to cut this call short, but I have more pressing matters to rake care of." He pressed a button on the receiver and the call ended. "I have every single leader telling me that I shouldn't let you be out in the field so soon. Gideon Malik wants you in isolation. Whitehall wants you to be punished for not killing yourself while in custody of the Avengers."

"Sir, I intend on making everything up to you and the others." Scarlett told him.

"Was Vince Warren telling the truth? Have you grown romantic feelings towards Pietro Maximoff?"

"Romance is for children. I was only playing with his emotions." Scarlett answered flatly. "I was playing nice with them in hopes of getting information out of them."

"And did you?"

"No." Scarlett shook her head softly. "They didn't trust me enough to speak of anything important around me. But sir, there are plans to assassinate you and the other Heads of HYDRA."

Pierce fell silent for a few moments.

"What do you mean?"

"Two nights ago, I was invited by a fellow agent to attend a meeting. At that meeting, they spoke of murdering every leader we have. The Baroness, the Banker, Dr. Whitehall—,"

"Do you have names?"

"I do, sir, but I'd like to keep this between you and me." Scarlett shifted in her seat a little. "I think that if I play along with them, I can get more names of traitors within our own walls, agents that make us weak. If we flush out all of the weak agents, HYDRA might finally have a chance at surviving the Avengers."

Pierce nodded his head and glanced down at his phone on his desk. It lit up and buzzed against the wood.

"Who was the agent who invited you to the meeting?"

"Agent Vince Warren, sir." She answered quietly. Pierce leaned forward in his seat and picked his phone up.

"Hmm. That's Giovanni, wanting to know about your status." Pierce spoke. Giovanni was Vince's father. "He's making a visit this afternoon. Let's keep this between us for now, Agent Rose. I want you reporting back to me every day. While you are doing that, I'm going to have to suspend you from any field work until further notice."

Scarlett furrowed her brows together, moving to sit on the edge of her chair.

"But sir, that's not—,"

"We have new agents coming in everyday, Scarlett. Could you imagine what they'd think if I let this slide? We'd have a mutiny." Pierce cut her off. Scarlett directed her gaze to the ground as he continued to speak. "As highly as I think of you, Scarlett, I can't let this just go and let things return to normal. Do you understand, child?"

"Yes." She spoke through clenched teeth.

"Good. I have two groups of new recruits that I'd like you and Agent Knight to take care of today. Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." Scarlett nodded her head once. She stood to her feet and made her way to the door.

Suspension from field work wasn't the end of the world. It'd give her more time to fix whatever thoughts she had in her head about leaving HYDRA. She just needed to have patience and tone down the horrible attitude she almost always had.

A smirk crossed her lips. HYDRA was going to be hers, and she'd get it without Vince's help.

———

Scarlett walked alongside Agent Drake Knight, letting him lead the tour. She wasn't interested in the recruits. He was friendly with everyone and people generally liked him. He always did well with the recruitments.

Scarlett's mind was elsewhere. She listened to the quiet chatter over the earpieces every HYDRA agent wore.

 _"The Asset has been contained, sir."_ Agent Rumlow spoke. Scarlett furrowed her brows together as she came to a stop.

"You okay, Agent Rose?" Agent Knight asked her. She nodded her head softly.

"I've just remembered I have to go talk to Agent Rumlow. He owes me thirty bucks. He's here, isn't he?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Scarlett excused herself from the group and began to make her way through the facility. The only place with the ability to securely hold the Winter Soldier was the basement lab. It was designed with reinforced walls and polycarbonate windows. No one got in or out without a palm and retinal scan. Luckily, Scarlett had access to everything within HYDRA's Northern California facility.

———

Scarlett's boots clicked against the stairs as she ascended them. Her eyes flickered around the room, carefully watching the doctors and labratory personnel move about. She crossed the room to go to the captivity chambers on the other side. This was where dangerous people or unstable experiments were kept. As she got to the door, it opened to reveal Agent Brock Rumlow.

"Whoa there, Scarface. Where do you think you're going?"

Scarlett caught sight of Vince and the rest of Rumlow's team just behind him.

"I heard the Asset was in containment and I came to make sure Agent Warren didn't get himself killed." Scarlett looked up into Rumlow's eyes, unwilling to let the towering agent intimidate her into scurrying away.

"With his smart ass mouth, he's bound to get a knife to the stomach from anyone." Jack Rollins commented.

"You sure you didn't come here to see daddy?" Rumlow raised a brow at Scarlett.

"Screw you, asshole." Scarlett pushed past him and went to Vince's side. Bucky Barnes was sitting in a chair, his arms secured to the chair in metal braces. Scarlett's eyes flickered to Bucky very briefly before she turned her attention to Vince. Bucky's head was hanging so he didn't see her.

"Don't worry, Scarface." Rumlow motioned for his team to leave the room. "Your boyfriend was just getting acquainted with daddy."

"Why don't you and Rollins go jerk each other off or something, Brock?" Vince suggested. He didn't like when Rumlow called Scarlett _Scarface_. It was in reference to the scars littering not only the assassin's face, but also the rest of her body. Rumlow glared sharply at the younger agent. With a sharp whistle from their leader, the STRIKE team began to leave the room.

"You better watch your back, pretty boy." Jack Rollins bumped his shoulder against Vince's as he passed by.

"What a bunch of dicks." Vince muttered. "You shouldn't be here, Scarlett, not with...." He nodded to the Winter Soldier, who now had his head raised and his eyes focused on Scarlett.

"Let me talk to him." Scarlett whispered softly, bringing her hand up to cup Vince's jaw. Her icy blue eyes flickered down to his lips. "Please. Just for a few moments. And then tonight, we can go out to dinner at that sushi restaurant in Sacramento. Suki's, right?" She knew soft smile etched on to her lips would do just what she needed.

"You've got five minutes." Vince let out a soft sigh, leaning down to catch her lips. "Be safe."

Scarlett watched him leave. When the door clicked shut, her eyes shifted to Bucky. His lip was busted, there was blood smeared across his cheek from his nose, and his left eye was bruised. Scarlett could see that he wanted to speak but he wouldn't because he thought everything was being recorded.

"There's no cameras in this room." Scarlett softly shook her head. She moved to sit on a chair a few feet in front of him. "It's just us."

"You left." He spat out the blood in his mouth.

"Staying wasn't an option. Hill was going to turn me into a prisoner."

"No she wasn't, Scarlett. We were going to take you to Malibu. Stark was going to let all of us lay low at his place."

Scarlett softly shook her head, her eyes falling down to her hands.

"I know you both believe that there's good in me.... but it's not there."

"Yes it is, Scarlett. I know there is. I felt the exact same way about myself when I first got out." Bucky shifted around uncomfortably in his seat. "I didn't see the good everyone else wanted me to see. I didn't think I'd be able to not hurt anyone, not kill anyone.... But I've learned to control my anger issues and my problems and I know I can be good. That's why I know you can be too."

"Because I'm your daughter?" Her blue eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Because I see me when I look at you." Bucky's voice was soft and gentle. "I was so proud of you, kid, and I still am. It's okay to have these little setbacks, but I can help you through them. So can Nat."

Scarlett was silent, her eyes staying on his.

"That last day you were at the Compound, Scarlett, we went for a run." Bucky smiled at the memory. "You agreed to go for that run with me. It was.... It was the first time I felt like we actually bonded and I.... I liked it, Scarlett. I know I'll never be the father you deserve and we'll never be as close as normal fathers and daughters are and I'm so sorry for that—,"

"Someone's coming." Scarlett cut him off, standing to her feet. A few heartbeats later, a man was entering the room. This was Agent Oliver Maddox. He was one of the men who followed behind Colonel Vasily Karpov in being the Winter Soldier's handler. After Karpov retired, Maddox took over.

"Agent Rose. I haven't seen you in a while." Maddox looked from her to Bucky, who was hanging his head once again. Then he moved towards the back of the room to got to the table that held a few files. "Heard you abandoned us not too long ago."

"I was gaining insight." Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest and moved with Maddox. "What about you?" Her eyes flickered over his frame, studying him carefully. At six feet and seven inches tall, he towered over her. His build was slim but muscular and Scarlett had to admit he was attractive. "I heard you were in hiding."

"Vacation, actually." He flipped through a file absentmindedly. "Hard to get any shit done when you have the Avengers blowing your goddamned lab up every two weeks." He glanced to Scarlett out of the corner of his eyes. "So have you and Giovanni's youngest finally tied the knot?"

"We were suppose to." Scarlett leaned against the table, brushing all of her hair over one shoulder. "But I bailed. Had a few jobs lined up across southeast Asia so instead of going to Italy for the wedding, I went to Asia to kill."

"Sounds like a good time."

"It was." Scarlett nodded her head softly. She bit her bottom lip, eyes intently gazing at Agent Maddox.

"What are you trying to do, Scarlett?" He let out a sigh as he turned to face her. Scarlett pulled the knife from the holster on her thigh and stabbed him once in the stomach, then again in the chest. She twisted the knife inside his chest cavity, effectively ending his life. She stepped out of the way as his body hit the floor.

"You're going to get your ass into trouble." Bucky commented.

"I got angry." She shrugged her shoulders softly, wiping the blood from her blade on Agent Maddox's shirt. She was a little displeased with having to kill him. He was a good agent. "He was criticizing me and telling me I didn't belong with HYDRA anymore."

She stood up and holster her knife. Then, Scarlett brushed her hair out of her eyes and moved across the room to the door. Vince would be coming back anytime soon.

"Scarlett, wait—,"

She closed the door behind herself. Rumlow was crossing the lab, making his way towards Scarlett. She pulled the anger constantly bubbling inside to the surface and began to storm towards the staircase. He needed to buy her story.

"What's wrong with you?" Rumlow asked her.

"Ask Agent Maddox." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and smirked evilly. "Oh wait, you can't."

"What the hell did you do, Scarlett!" Rumlow stepped towards her.

"Knifed him."

"What for?"

"Same reason I'm probably going to kill you." Scarlett stomped up the staircase. "He got on my nerves."


	21. Twenty-One

_ Two Hours Later _

"I heard you went in to see the Soldier."

Scarlett looked up from the paperwork on her desk. Pierce stood in front of her desk, eyeing what she was writing.

"What are you working on?"

"Paperwork." She answered, sitting back in her chair. "Four targets in three different countries in two days. I didn't really have time to do any field reports. And as for going to see the Soldier, I just went to see how compliant he was, sir. I wanted to get a feel on his stability"

"Why?"

"Because if he wasn't compliant, I was positive I could make him." Scarlett lied perfectly, her eyes remaining locked with her superiors.

"What makes you say that?" Pierce crossed his arms. Scarlett was growing agitated with his distrust in her.

"Sir, I think you've forgotten what I am capable of." She crossed her knees. "Deception is one of my many specialties. I do some of my best work when I'm playing more than one angle."

"What angle were you playing when you went to talk to him?" Pierce pulled a chair up to her desk and sat down.

"I let him think that I care about him and his well-being, just like I did when I was with them at their Compound. I let them believe I wanted to leave HYDRA and I let them believe that I wanted to change. They began to trust me, and I feel that if I would've stayed a little while longer, I could've gotten them to open up to me, to tell me mission plans and strategies, things that would help us—help HYDRA."

Pierce nodded his head, his eyes intently focused on Scarlett.

"Why is it that Rumlow came to me saying you murdered Agent Maddox?"

"Maddox said the wrong things, sir." Scarlett tucked a few pieces of hair behind her ear. "I'm still working on my anger issues but he just.... he said I was a traitor to HYDRA."

"Are you?" Pierce didn't trust her. Someone had to have told him something to make him cold and confrontational towards her.

"Am I a traitor?" Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows together. "Mr. Pierce, sir, HYDRA has given me everything. They've given me a life-You've given me a life and for that, I will be forever in your debt. I owe who I am now to you and to HYDRA. You've given me a purpose."

"I'm just having difficulty understanding you, Scarlett." Pierce pinched the bridge of his nose. "You've changed since you found out about Project Recluse. I.... I really don't think we have much of a choice, Scarlett. I think you need to have your memory wiped."

Scarlett's lips parted as she gazed at him, tears stinging her eyes, threatening to take over.

"I need an agent I know is strong enough to take over once I'm gone, Scarlett." Pierce leaned forward, speaking in a soft and gentle voice. "I thought for the longest time that that would be you, but you've proved me wrong."

"I-I found out who my parents are, sir." Scarlett whispered quietly. "I found out that I-I have this greatness coursing through my veins. I never wanted a relationship with them and I still don't. I only wanted to preserve HYDRA and what we stand for. By gaining their trust, I'd get into their heads and make them think I was one of them. Sir, I could take down the Avengers. I wanted to make you proud. That's all I've ever wanted to do."

"You have made me proud, Scarlett." Pierce nodded his head. "But your recent actions haven't."

"I can make it up to you. I can infiltrate them, the Avengers. I know I can."

Pierce fell silent for a few heartbeats, thinking about what she was saying.

"I believe you can." Pierce nodded his head. The lights suddenly went out and red and white emergency lights began to flash. The door to the office burtsed open and a dozen HYDRA agents stormed in. "What's going on out there?"

"It's the Avengers, sir."

"Damn it." Pierce cursed. He looked to Scarlett, who was on her feet. "You do what you have to."

"Thank you, sir." Scarlett nodded once and left the office.

—––

Scarlett placed her palm upon the scanner outside of the door that led to the lab in the basement. She looked straight ahead, fighting the urge to blink as a bright blue light came out and scanned her eye. The door opened with a hiss. She made her way down the stairs to find only a handful of doctors in the lab.

"What are you doing?" She furrowed her brows together, watching as they seemed to shove important paperwork into briefcases.

"We've been given orders to evacuate, Agent Rose." One of them answered.

"Why?"

"The Avengers are here. It's better to pack up and leave than to waste our resources fighting."

"What are you doing down here, Agent Rose?" The only female doctor present asked.

"I've been sent to release the Asset."

"Release him? Why?"

"Hopefully, he'll take out a few of his buddies for us." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders as she crossed the lab to get to the chamber holding Bucky Barnes.

"You're releasing him now?" The male doctor asked, quickening his pace.

"Yeah, so if you don't want to die, you better run." Scarlett pushed the heavy door open. Bucky was in the same position he was in just two hours earlier.

"What's going on?"

"Natasha got my text." She answered as she went around to unlock the braces holding Bucky's arms down.

"You texted her?"

Scarlett didn't answer him. The braces released his arms and he hastily stood to his feet.

"Stay in here for thirty seconds. I'll clear the path for you." She took an earpiece out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Which side are you on, Scarlett?" Bucky didn't move from the center of the room. Scarlett stopped at the door and looked back to him.

"I'm playing both sides." She left without another word. The scientists had cleared the lab. She went over to one of the cabinets full of different medications. On the top shelf was where they kept the tranquilizer gun and darts. She grabbed three darts, making sure all of them had the safety tips on, and stuffed them into her pockets. Scarlett pulled the hood to her jacket over her head as she made her way up the stairs, skipping steps so she could get to the top faster.

The door at the top of the stairs was just beginning to open. Scarlett plowed into the door, knocking whoever had opened it back. She disarmed the agent and managed to get him into a choke hold. Once he was unconcious, Scarlett started to move through the hallways, listening carefully for the sound of fighting. The building shook. Something had exploded.

 _"How the hell do I know which way to get out of here?"_ Bucky asked her through his earpiece.

"Follow the trail of bodies I've left you." Scarlett answered. Three agents were approaching her, no doubt going for the Soldier.

As she was passing the last agent, she rammed her shoulder against his, sending him into the wall. Then, she pulled out the knife in her thigh holster and stabbed him once where his neck and collarbone met. The second agent started to turn around but Scarlett kicked the back of his knee. The last agent raised his gun but Scarlett launched her knife at him, hitting him in the upper bicep. While he was dealing with the knife sticking out of his arm, Scarlett returned her attention to the second agent. Her hands were placed on either side of his head and with a simple twist, she broke his neck. A gun went off, the sound echoing off of the metal hallway walls. Scarlett felt a sudden burning sensation in her abdomen.

"Damn it." She growled, looking down to see what had happened. Blood seeped through the thin material of her white shirt. She looked back up to the agent through her eyelashes. A dark and feral haze seemed to take over her once beautiful blue eyes.

———

Scarlett found the Avengers fighting near one of the entrances. HYDRA was throwing everything they had at the heroes. Scarlett spotted Clint Barton struggling on the ground with an agent on top of him. She grabbed the agent by the back of his uniform and threw him across the room.

"Now's not the time to sit on your ass, Barton." She held her hand out for him. He was out of breath, brows furrowed together as he gazed up at her.

"What the hell—," He hesitantly reached up to take her hand.

"I know." She cut him off. She pulled him to his feet and turned just in time to be tackled to the ground by a HYDRA agent. "Son of a bitch!"

The agent began to put his hands around her neck when he was suddenly thrown off of Scarlett. Vince stood at her feet, gazing down at her in confusion. Scarlett started to move to stand up but he pulled the gun from his hip to aim it at her.

"What are you doing, Vince?"

"Who's side are you on?"

"That's ridiculous, Vince. You know what side—," Scarlett stopped talking as he chambered a bullet. "Put the damn gun down, Vince." She spoke through clenched teeth.

The next few seconds happened so quickly. Pietro was standing in Vince's place and Vince was flying back into a steel wall.

"Who's that?" Pietro held his hand out for Scarlett. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"My boyfriend." She put her hand over her stomach. It hurt just moving and even breathing but now wasn't the time to worry about it.

"Charming." Pietro looked over in the direction of Vince, who was now unconscious on the ground. Then, the Quicksilver's gaze flickered back to Scarlett. "You left."

"We can talk about that later." Scarlett spotted an agent just behind Pietro getting ready to shoot him. Before she could do anything, Tony Stark blasted the man with his repulsors.

"So who's side are you on, kid?" He landed next to Pietro.

"Right now, yours."

"Are you bleeding?" Pietro furrowed his brows as he looked down at Scarlett's abdomen. A large red patch stained her white shirt. "Is that your blood?"

"Yeah. Barnes, where are you at?" She brought her hand up to her ear as she made her way for the door.

"Barnes?" Tony repeated.

 _"I've got some bad news, Scarlett."_ Bucky's breathes were punched out as he spoke. _"I think I just overheard Pierce talking about bringing this place down."_

"Of course." Scarlett let out a sigh, then looked to the two Avengers in front of her. "We need to get out of here."

Bullets started ricocheting off of the walls and Tony's metal armor. The Iron Man stepped in front of Scarlett but a bullet still managed to graze her arm.

"Maximoff, I thought you took care of that guy." Tony muttered gesturing to Vince, who was no longer unresponsive on the ground. He stood near the hallway, firing at the two Avengers and Scarlett.

"That's Scarlett's boyfriend." Pietro rolled his eyes.

"I don't care who he is." Tony held his hand up in Vince's direction. Before he could do anything, Vince had thrown a grenade. It exploded in the air between them. Tony was thrown back through a concrete wall. Pietro saw the grenade just before it exploded. He had enough time to wrap his arms around Scarlett and get them to the door that led out of the facility. The explosion threw both of them forward. The doors flew off of the building and shrapnel shot through the air. 

Scarlett hit the ground on her back with Pietro still on top of her.

"Damn it!" She grunted before pushing Pietro off of her. She stood to her feet and looked back to the facility.

"Scar, no offense but your boyfriend is a dick." Tony muttered as he pushed rubble and debris off of himself.

"I know." Scarlett brushed her dark hair out of her face. She glanced over to Pietro to see why he was still laying on the ground. He was on his back and his eyes were closed. "Maximoff?" She furrowed her brows together. There was no response. She got down on her knees beside him. There were red blotches coming through the spandex-like material of his soft gray long sleeve. It looked like whatever had injured him was a through and through. The front was where the exit wounds were.

"Maximoff, if you don't answer me...." She trailed off. Hesitantly, Scarlett felt for a pulse. His heart was still beating but it was frantic and unsteady. She carefully pushed him over on to his side to see where the bleeding was coming from. Shrapnel had pierced different little places on his back but the spot with the heaviest blood flow was on his left shoulder. She tore off a piece of his shirt and used the material as a bandage to wrap under his arm and over his shoulder. It was the most she could do with the resources she had. "Hey, Stark!" She called, turning her head to look back into the facility.

"I'm a little busy!"

"Maximoff is unresponsive!" Scarlett put Pietro on his back. Her eyes searched his face. Unruly silver curls fell across his forehead and into his eyes. She carefully reached them out to brush them back but when she saw that her fingers were covered in blood, she pulled her hands back into her lap.

"What the hell did he do?" Tony's Iron Man suit knelt down next to Scarlett.

"I don't know, but he's bleeding."

The sound of shouting and gunfire caught her attention. She looked in the direction of the facility. Agents were pouring out and shooting in their direction.

"I'll take care of them." Scarlett pulled the gun from the holster on her thigh. "Get him somewhere safe."


	22. Twenty-Two

Scarlett boarded the jet just behind Bucky and Natasha. After she found him inside the facility, they both ran into Natasha. Most of the Avengers were sitting around in their chairs, but Pietro was laying across the floor.

"Why is he on the floor?" Scarlett asked.

"We don't have anywhere else for him to go." Tony answered with a sigh.

"Is he going to be okay?" Scarlett moved to kneel down next to him.

"We've managed to stop the bleeding, but Banner's not really feeling up to that sort of thing." Steve nodded in the doctor's direction. He was sitting on the floor with headphones over his ears and his eyes closed. Scarlett's gaze flickered back to Pietro.

"There she is!" Clint watched as Wanda boarded the jet with Vision right behind her. The Witch was angry about something. Scarlett started to stand up but Wanda thrust her hand out in the assassin's direction. Scarlett was thrown back into one of the walls of the jet.

"Son of a bitch!" She hissed. Natasha stood from her seat and moved to help Scarlett, but she wasn't having it. "I don't need your help!"

"What did you do to him?" Wanda's voice was low as she knelt down by her brother.

"I didn't do shit." Scarlett got to her feet. She stayed on the opposite side of the jet from the Witch.

"He's going to be okay, Wanda." Steve shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was on his feet the second Wanda had thrown Scarlett across the room.

"He better be." Wanda's dark gaze flickered up to glare at Scarlett.

———

Scarlett sat on the edge of the bed in her room within Tony's Malibu mansion. She was braiding her dark hair over her shoulder, her eyes gliding around the room. It was a large white room with a wall of glass that overlooked the ocean. A huge bed with white and navy blue bedding rested against the wall across from the door. There was an attached bathroom and a huge flat screen tv mounted on the wall just across from the bed. There was a door with a massive but empty walk in closet.

She pushed the first-aid kit on the bed away from herself. She was thankful that Natasha had given her the kit and left without offering to help. Scarlett preferred to patch herself up.

A knock on the door tore her attention away from her own thoughts. The door cracked open and Natasha stepped in.

"I just wanted to tell you Pietro's awake downstairs, if you'd like to see him."

Scarlett said nothing for a long while as she held her mother's gaze.

"Aren't you going to ask me about why I left?" She spoke quietly. Natasha shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I was, but I was going to wait until a little later." She stepped into the room and closed the door. "Barnes says you left because you didn't want to be made prisoner." Scarlett's gaze flickered over to window-wall as she continued to braid her long hair. "Scarlett, you were never going to be made into a prisoner. I wouldn't allow it and Hill would never have done such a thing. We were planning on bringing you here where no one could hurt you and you.... you wouldn't be a threat to anyone."

"But I am." Scarlett stood to her feet. "I am a threat to anyone I come across. To you, to Barnes, to every other person in this damned house! Why can't you see that?"

"Because I know you can be good." Natasha smiled softly. "You did your best before and what happened to those agents, that wasn't your fault. You did what you had to in order to survive. I understand that."

Scarlett locked her jaw and crossed her arms.

"I'm not going to stand here and keep pressing the subject." Natasha let out a soft sigh as she opened the door. "But I think Pietro would like to see you."

Scarlett huffed as the door closed. What the hell did she mean by that? She waited a few heartbeats before retrieving a hoodie from the bag Natasha packed her and slipping it on. She pulled the door to her room open and shut it quietly behind herself. Even the hallway was ridiculously large.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and padded down the hall. There were a few stairs at the end of the hall that led into the living room. She spotted an elevator on the other side of the living room. As she was crossing the room, she sensed someone behind her. She spun around to see a strawberry blonde woman standing by the front door with grocery bags in her hand. Bruce and Thor were helping her carrying in the groceries from her car.

"Who are you?" The woman furrowed her eyebrows together.

"Who are you?" Scarlett looked the woman up and down, unsure of who she was or what her intentions were.

"Uh, that's Scarlett." Bruce answered as he led the way to the kitchen. "Bucky and Nat's.... offspring. Scarlett, that's Pepper. She's Tony's girlfriend slash mental stability."

"Thank you for that, Bruce." Pepper carefully watched Scarlett. She had heard stories of the young woman but never expected what she was seeing.

"I'm looking for Pietro. Where is he?" Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest.

"Take the elevator down two floors. First room on the left." Pepper answered. She watched the dark haired girl get into the elevator. Once the doors closed, Pepper let out a soft sigh. "She seems...." She trailed off.

"Aggressive?" Thor suggested.

"Rude?" Bruce added. "Yeah. She can be, but Bucky says she means well. Still not sure how I feel about her."

———

The elevator opened with a soft ding. Scarlett stepped out and surveyed her surroundings. The first room on the left was labeled _Med Bay_ _1_. The door was propped open. Inside were Wanda, Pietro, and Clint. Pietro was sitting up on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. Wanda stood by the bed while Clint sat in a chair next to it.

Wanda was the first to sense Scarlett's presence.

"What are you doing here?"

Scarlett was silent. She didn't know what to say. Her eyes flickered to Pietro, who gave her a little smile.

"I don't know." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head. She turned to walk away.

"Wait, Scarlett!" Pietro called for her. He started to get up from the bed but Wanda stopped him.

"You get out of that bed, and I'll beat your ass." She promised him. Scarlett stopped in the hallway and put her head back. A heavy sigh escaped her lips just before she turned back to the room. Clint left the room, giving Scarlett a soft nod. Wanda was a little less friendly. She glared at Scarlett until she passed the HYDRA assassin.

"Did you come to check on me, princessa?" Pietro raised a brow. Scarlett leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed firmly over her chest.

"I came to make sure you didn't kill yourself being an idiot."

"I saved your life." He grinned. "Doesn't that get me a kiss or something?"

"The only part of me that's ever going to touch your lips is my fist." She rolled her eyes at him. He let out a bark of laughter. Scarlett stepped into the room, her eyes finding the bandages on his torso. She silently moved to stand in front of him, her hands reaching out to tentatively touch his the white bandage that wrapped around his left shoulder. "Don't do that ever again."

"Save your life?" Electric blue eyes curiously studied her face, watching the way her eyebrows knitted together ever so slightly or the way her lips parted when her fingertips made contact with his bare skin.

"Risk your life for mine." Her icy blue gaze flickered up to meet his. "I'm not worth it."

"I happen to think you are." He quietly said. "Why did you leave, princessa? You didn't give me a chance to say goodbye."

"There was no point. I didn't think I wanted to come back." Scarlett hummed softly, her fingers trailing down his left arm before her arm fell to her side.

"What made you change your mind?"

She was quiet for a few moments, trying to think of an answer that wasn't entirely dishonest.

"I don't like the way I've been treated recently within HYDRA. They think I betrayed them."

"So you.... you didn't change your mind because you wanted to see me?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes at him. A soft smile crossed his lips. He almost forgot how much she loved to roll her eyes.

"What's his name? Your boyfriend?" The smile on his lips faded as he spoke. Scarlett's eyes met his before she took a step away from him and went to sit in the chair Clint had previously been occupying. "I think I've seen him before."

"Vince Warren." She crossed her knees and began to tap her fingers against her leg. "And you probably have. He was posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent when we were at the Compound. He's the one who killed those agents."

"You never told me about him."

"I never had a reason to." She shook her head softly.

"Do you.... Are things serious between you two?" Pietro shifted around on the bed. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but it was too late to take it back. She didn't answer immediately. Her eyes stayed on him very briefly before she looked away.

"We used to be. But I don't think we are anymore." A soft grin crossed her lips. "We were going to get married just a week before I tried to kill Barnes."

"What happened?" A spark of hope filled his chest. Maybe he'd be able to win her over after all.

"I didn't want to go through with it. I went to south Asia to do a few jobs instead."

"Is he good to you?" Pietro asked quietly.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Scarlett softly shook her head. He could see the walls in her head fly up. She was becoming hostile once again.

"It's not. I'm just curious." Pietro moved to lay back on the bed. He put one hand behind his head as he looked to the ceiling. "I still remember those bruises on your neck, princessa. Was he the one who did that to you?"

Scarlett's silence was all the answer he needed. Pietro turned over on to his side to face her.

"Why would you let him put his hands on you, Scarlett? I know you've killed for simpler things, so why is he still alive?"

"Why the hell do you care?" She nearly growled at him.

"Because I think you deserve better than him." He admitted quietly. Scarlett's jaw locked. She shook her head, her eyes finding the door. Her fingers continued to tap against her thigh and her foot bounced up and down.

"He's the son of HYDRA's best geneticists, Giovanni Warren. He studied closely with Dr. Blake Adams. He also studied yours and your sister's with Dr. List. Pierce and the other Heads of HYDRA.... They always wanted me to marry Vince. The Warren family tree is deeply rooted within HYDRA. Some of our best agents have came from that family. And-and my family tree is just as valuable to them." Scarlett whispered softly as she realized why exactly she was always pressured into making her relationship with Vince work. "Our family backgrounds would make the perfect agent.... the perfect pawn."

"That doesn't mean you have to deal with his bullshit. I mean, he put a freaking gun to your head, princessa."

"His time is running short, Maximoff." Scarlett stood to her feet and made her way to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Your questions make me want to punch something."

"Then I'll stop asking questions!" Pietro spoke quickly in an attempt to make her stay. She stopped just outside of the door.

"Staying isn't a good idea." She said over her shoulder. With a frown on his lips, he watched her disappear.

———

Scarlett ventured around the large house before finding a door that took her to the balcony that overlooked the ocean. It was on the edge of the cliff but Scarlett didn't mind. Heights didn't scare her. There was a gentle breeze blowing. Scarlett leaned against the railing with her elbows. Her eyes watched the waves crash against the shore. She stayed out there alone for a long time, enjoying the sounds of the waves and the smell of the salty air.

Just on the other side of the glass window-wall behind Scarlett was the kitchen. Pepper, Natasha, Wanda, Thor, and Steve were in the kitchen. Pepper, Steve, and Natasha were busy cooking dinner for the heroes while the other two sat at the table.

"I never knew you had a daughter, Nat." Pepper spoke quietly as she glanced up from the cucumber she was cutting.

"I never told anyone until just recently." Natasha gave her a little sad smile. "I didn't want anyone to know."

"What made you change your mind?"

"She tried to kill Barnes."

"Oh." Pepper nodded her head softly. She looked out to the balcony. Scarlett had gone out a door from another room to get to the balcony but there was a door to the kitchen too. "She seems a little guarded."

"She is." Natasha sighed gently. She picked up the finely chopped bell peppers on her cutting board and put them into a bowl. "She's been through a lot, but she's making progress."

"It's good to see her out of her room." Steve joined in the conversation, giving Natasha an encouraging nod. "She didn't show any interest in leaving her room at the Tower for a long time. She's opening up to us."

"She is." Natasha agreed. A smile found its way to her lips. "It's just a slow process. But I hope she doesn't give up on trying."

"The fire in that one burns bright, Natasha." Thor spoke from his seat at the table. "Giving up isn't in her nature."

"No, it isn't." She agreed with him.  
  



	23. Twenty-Three

_ Three Days Later _

It was nearly midnight and everyone else had fallen asleep. Scarlett was never able to sleep properly, so instead she stood on the balcony, listening to the ocean and letting her mind wander.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. With a soft sigh, she tore her gaze away from the ocean and pulled her phone out. It was Vince.

"I didn't think you'd have the balls call me." She turned her back to the ocean so she could lean against the rail.

_"Pierce told me what you're doing,_ _Scarlett_ _. I want to apologize for what I did—,"_

"You held a goddamned gun to my head, Vince." She cut him off, speaking through her teeth to him. "I don't want any apologizes from you."

_"I–Scarlett, baby. I thought you turned your back on us, on me! What else was I suppose to do? I saw you fighting our own people!"_

"It's late, Vince, and I don't want to talk right now." Scarlett rubbed her temple.

_"I'll call you in the morning, okay? We can talk more then. How does that sound?"_

Scarlett bit her bottom lip.

"That sounds good."

_"Good. Talk to you in the morning, baby."_

Scarlett turned back to face the ocean. She silently hoped the waves would reach up and take her as its victim. She wanted the sea to swallow her and all of her problems. Her stomach churned from the thought of betraying Pierce, but she wasn't sure that she could do exactly what she said she would. In the past three days that she'd been in Malibu, nothing had been expected of her. She spoke when she wanted and went were she pleased. The Avengers gave her space and allowed her to stay outside on the balcony for as long as she desired. It was a sense of freedom that she had never had before. No one wanted anything from her. She had the choice to make her own decisions.

The sound of soft footsteps behind her made Scarlett turned around to face Pietro. He stood in the doorway of the house. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts that seemed to hang low on his hips. The shrapnel wounds had healed–thanks to his ability to heal quicker than normal people. Now, pink little scars were left across his torso.

"You want to go down to the beach with me, princessa?" He asked her. The two hadn't spoken much in the past three days. Anytime he'd walk into a room, Scarlett would either leave or ignore him. Now was his chance to get her attention back. He noticed how much she seemed to enjoy watching the waves. Maybe she'd like to see them up close.

Scarlett nodded her head softly. Her arms were crossed firmly over her chest. She was in a tank top and a pair of shorts. Had she known she was going to run into anyone, she wouldn't have worn such revealing clothing.

With a soft smile on his lips, Pietro led the way around the balcony to a set of stairs. The stairs led to a little pathway and then a rather steep downgrade that eventually took them to a little sandy beach. The moon was bright above, shining down and reflecting off of the water.

"Princessa? Can you tell me why you've been avoiding me for the past few days?" Pietro sat down on the sand just out of reach of the tide. Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She hesitated to sit next to him. She didn't want to get close to him, to make any bad decisions. But at the same time, she wanted to find out what other unexplored feelings her time free from HYDRA would bring up.

Scarlett sat down next to him, her knees pulled to her chest.

"I didn't want you asking any more questions about Vince." She answered him quietly.

"But I want to get to know you, Scarlett."

"No you don't." She shook her head. Though he was gazing at her intently, she focused on the waves. "I'm not some broken girl you can rescue, Pietro Maximoff. I'm worse than you think."

"I'm not interested in rescuing you, princessa. I want to help you save yourself. Besides, I think it's hot when a girl can save her own ass." He grinned softly though his heart was racing. He had never been so nervous around a girl before.

"Does your terrible flirting always work?" Scarlett cracked a little smile as she glanced over to him.

"Sometimes." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "It just depends on the person. How about this? You ask me one question then I'll ask you one question. That way you don't feel like I'm interrogating you."

Scarlett placed her hand on the sand and started to draw shapes and lines into the wet sand.

"I'm not going to tell you shit. You'll just run off and tell everyone else."

"No I won't." He shook his head. "This is between me and you, princessa. I promise."

She hesitated before nodding her head softly, agreeing to his ridiculous game.

"Where are you from?"

"Sokovia." Pietro leaned back on his hands and looked to the stars. "When's your birthday?"

"I don't know." She answered honestly with a shrug of her shoulders. "I've never celebrated a birthday."

Pietro opened his mouth to say something about how crazy that sounded, but then he remembered who she grew up around. Birthdays were meaningless when you were training to become a killer.

"What do you remember most about your parents?" She turned her head to look at him. The question caught him off guard. His eyes lingered on hers before looking down at the sandy ground. Scarlett could see something shit in his eyes. Was that.... Was that grief? Sadness maybe? "You don't have to answer that, if you don't want to."

"I remember waking up on the weekends and my mother.... She'd be in the kitchen making breakfast. My father would be at the table with Wanda, reading to her. I...." He paused for a moment, a sad smile crossing his lips. "At the time, I took those things for granted. I'd sleep as long as I could or stay in my room until my mother yelled at me. It was nothing special but it's-it's one of the biggest things I miss about them."

Scarlett nodded her head softly. A long period of silence followed his words. It was his turn to ask her a question, but she didn't want to remind him. Her stomach twisted at the sight of the tears lingering in his electric eyes.

"I remember Natasha singing to me." She admitted out loud, her voice quiet and meek. "I-I don't know how I remember that. She left me before I was even four-years-old. I don't know what she sung to me but I.... I can still hear it sometimes, just the sound of her voice."

Pietro appreciated her attempt to cheer him up. She was trying to make him feel better. A soft smile crossed his lips as he looked at her.

"What's your favorite thing to eat?"

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't eat a lot. Don't need to."

"Enhanced or not, you've got to eat." Pietro furrowed his brows at her. "What's the best thing you've ever had?"

Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek. She knew that answer.

"French toast." A soft smile tugged at her lips. "I can remember one time when I stayed at Giovanni Warren's house. I was young. I had a heart problem back then and Giovanni gave me some kind of medication. He wanted to watch me through the night so I stayed in one of their spare rooms.... His wife, Nicole, made French toast for her two boys and–and I got to have some too." Her mouth watered at the thought of the delicious French toast. Her eyes met Pietro's and for a second, he thought he saw the dark haze that usually rested inside her gaze disappear. It was a happy memory.

"Your turn." Pietro watched her with a smile of his own. Scarlett's gaze dropped to her lap. She softly shook her head.

"I don't have anymore questions."

"Yeah you do." He nodded his head. "You don't know everything about me. Ask me anything. I don't mind."

"Why did you let Strucker experiment on you?" Scarlett crinkled her brows together, turning her head to look at him. "That's one thing I never.... I never understood about you. You willingly let them do whatever they wanted to you."

"I wanted to have the chance to end Stark." The Quicksilver let out a little sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Stupid reason, I know, but I was young then. I didn't know what I know now and all I knew then was that my parents died and I thought he was the reason for it. I wanted to get back at the man who killed them."

Scarlett nodded her head. She sort of understood his reasoning. Pietro's eyes studied her face for a few moments.

"How many scars do you have, princessa?" His voice was gentle and soft as he spoke. Scarlett shifted around but said nothing. "I only ask because I want to know everything about you, good and bad."

"No you don't." She shook her head. He could barely hear her over the sound of the waves breaking against the shore. "There's a darkness in me, Pietro. I don't want to hurt you."

"Princessa, you won't hurt me." Pietro reached out to brush her dark hair out of her eyes. Her eyes closed the second his fingertips gingerly grazed her skin. As his heart thumped in his chest, he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek and then her lips. Scarlett seemed to melt into his touch, her hand coming up to find his neck. The kiss was soft and timid, almost like Pietro was afraid to touch her. But then something clicked and he was pulling her closer to him.

Heat rose to Scarlett's cheeks and her heart fluttered inside her chest. Her hand slipped around to fist the silvery curls at the base of his neck. His hand found her hips, urging her to move closer to him. She rose up on her knees to gain more leverage against him. He was warm and soft, and when he touched her, he treated her like a delicate flower. He was so different compared to Vince. _Vince_.

Scarlett pushed Pietro away. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, glossy eyes gazing at Pietro. He was now on his back with one arm propping him up. His lips parted as he breathed heavily. She had pushed him away with such force that he fell on his back away from her.

"Scarlett—,"

"It's late." She cut him off as she stood to her feet.

"Good night, princessa." Pietro watched her begin to walk away. She stopped for a split second,. glancing over her shoulder in his direction.

"Good night, Pietro."

As she climbed the steep pathway that led back up to the house, Pietro leaned back on his elbows. A proud smile crossed his lips. Tonight had been progressive and successful. He had feared that after her brief return to HYDRA, that she wouldn't be willing to talk to him. But she wanted to, she just didn't know how.

———

A soft knock on the door to her room pulled Scarlett from her light slumber. Natasha pushed the door open and stepped into the room. She didn't expect to see Scarlett sleeping in her bed, but the young woman was. The comforter and sheets were pulled back and she was tucked comfortably between them.

"Pepper got up bright and early to make breakfast for all of us, Scarlett. Why don't you come join us?"

Scarlett rolled over on to her back and rubbed her eyes.

"I'll be out in a minute." Scarlett could smell whatever Pepper had cooked. It was warm and inviting and oddly familiar.

"Okay." Natasha nodded her head and closed the door. Scarlett looked to the ceiling, listening to what was going on in the kitchen. When she finally felt ready to get up and join the others, she changed into a pair of leggings and a gray long sleeve shirt before padding out to the kitchen.

"Finally." Tony's words brought everyone's attention to Scarlett. "We thought you were going to sleep the whole day away."

"Go ahead and take a seat, Scarlett. I'll make you a plate." Pepper offered. Scarlett's eyes flickered around the table. The only empty chair was between Pietro and Peter. Pietro was watching her with a faint smile across his lips. His eyes briefly left hers to look at the empty chair to his left and then he looked back to her. He was telling her to take the seat.

Scarlett moved around the table to sit in the chair between the two Avengers.

"You get any sleep at all, Scarlett?" Bucky asked her.

"A few hours. Not much though." She absentmindedly rubbed her arm.

"So Wanda and I were thinking about going out for a little shopping later on, Scarlett." Natasha didn't look up from her plate as she spoke. "Do you want to come with us?"

"It's probably a good idea for me to not be around civilians." Scarlett watched Pepper move out of the kitchen and into the dining room to give Scarlett her plate.

"There you go, sweetie." The strawberry blonde smiled softly to Scarlett as she placed the plate down in front of her.

"I think it would do you some good to get out of the house for a few hours." Natasha said. "Just think about it and you can make the decision after breakfast."

Scarlett's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked down at her plate. There were eggs and bacon on her plate, as well as something that looked like soggy bread.

"What is this?" She tentatively poked at the two square objects with her fork.

"That's, uh, that's what we call French toast." Peter answered from his place to her left. "You ever had French toast before?"

"It's just.... It's been a while." Scarlett looked to Pietro, who pretended not to notice her as he stuffed a forkful of eggs into his mouth. Had he done this for her? Did he tell Pepper? Who else had he told? What else had he shared that wasn't his to share?"

"Ms. Romanoff? Can I come with you and Wanda and Scarlett?" Peter asked.

"What have I told you about calling me that, Peter?" Natasha raised her eyebrows at him. Scarlett's fingers curled tightly around her fork.

"To not call you that." Peter nodded his head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Ro—Natasha. It's just kind of hard to get used to that—,"

The metal fork in Scarlett's hand snapped under the pressure from her grip. She stood up suddenly, her chair screeching against the tiled floor. Everyone watched as she silently stormed out of the room through the door that led to the balcony. From there, they watched her disappear down the stairs that would take her to the beach.

"I'll go talk to her." Bucky let out a sigh as he stood to his feet.

"Let me, Barnes." Pietro offered. Before the dark haired assassin could object, Pietro was gone.

"I-I'm sorry." Peter's voice softened as he looked from Natasha to Bucky and then to Tony. "I didn't mean to make her leave."

"It wasn't you, kid." Tony shook his head. "She's got a lot going on right now."

"Like what, Stark?" Bucky looked to the Iron Man.

"Have you not taken a good look at that kid recently, Barnes? She's having some kind of war inside her head."

"Adjusting to this lifestyle is hard for her." Natasha spoke quietly. "She's never had anyone be kind to her, or soft or gentle when they speak to her."

"Just like when we got you back." Steve nodded his head, his eyes falling on Bucky. "It took you a long time to open up to any of us and to trust us. She's just like you, Buck."

"Does she need to see someone professional about it?" Pepper asked as she took her seat next to Tony.

"We've tried that, and I don't think it would help her." Natasha shook her head. "I think the only thing we can do is exactly what we have been doing. Give her space and don't make any aggressive advances to get her to open up. Let her take her own time. She'll come around when she feels ready."

"What about Maximoff? His advances seem kind of passive aggressive." Tony raised a brow, earning an elbow to the arm from Pepper. "Ouch! What? All I'm saying is the kid could get hurt, Pep! Jeez!"

"Pietro can take care of himself." Wanda firmly assured him. She didn't like the idea of her brother trying to get close to Scarlett, but he was too stubborn to listen to her.

———

Pietro stopped at the bottom of the pathway just before he got to the sand. Scarlett was pacing away from him but she could sense him behind her. She spun around to face him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction.

"You're a fucking liar."

"What are you talking about, princessa—,"

"Don't call me that." She growled. She took a few steps towards him. She was ready and willing to hurt him. Anger and betrayal filled her gaze. "You said what we talked about would stay between us. But you're just a liar."

"Scarlett, I never lied to you." Pietro shook his head. "I asked Pepper this morning if she could make French toast. I never mentioned you. But I-I did it for you."

Scarlett's shoulders were rising and falling with every heavy breath she took. The flames of anger coursing through her veins was too strong to be put out by his delicate words. He moved towards her but Scarlett put her hand out to stop him.

"I just need space."

"Okay. I can give you space." He nodded his head softly. She turned and walked further down the beach away from him. He anxiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. She turned back to face him, her hand falling from where it had been resting over her mouth.

"I don't understand you, Pietro Maximoff." She murmured. "I-I'm not used to men acting the way you do towards me. I don't know what to do."

"Let me in." He took a few hesitant steps towards her. "Let me do nice things for you and show you how you're suppose to be treated. What's the worse that could happen?"

"I could kill you." Scarlett let out a soft sigh. Pietro took a chance and closed the space between them but she turned away from him to look out at the ocean.

"I'd gladly die at the hands of the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." He leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek. Scarlett gently pushed him away so he couldn't reach her.

"I'm not willing to risk your life like that, Pietro." She shook her head. Pietro bit the inside of his cheek. His eyes followed her gaze out to the beautiful sea.

"You know, you remind me of the ocean." His eyes flickered back to her. Though the side of her head was to him, he studied her profile. "Breathtaking, but dangerous."

"You don't act like I'm dangerous."

"Because I like danger." A small smile cracked across his lips when he saw the corner of her lips turn upwards.

"You're a stupid boy, Maximoff."

"So I've been told. Let's go back up to the house. I think you'll love Pepper's French toast."

"I'm not going back into the kitchen. There's too many people in there and I don't...." She trailed off, softly shaking her head.

"Then I'll bring your food to your room. How does that sound?"

She nodded her head softly. A gust of wind blew her hair back. When she looked over to where Pietro had been standing, all that was left was a blue streak that disappeared into thin air.


	24. Twenty-Four

Scarlett left her room and padded out into the living room. She had heard Natasha's car pull into the driveway. She decided that she didn't want to go into town with Natasha, Wanda, and Peter. Scarlett didn't want to risk anything bad happening. But Natasha promised to bring her back clothes and admittedly, Scarlett was a little curious to see what kind of clothes Natasha had purchased.

"So we decided we want to take your boat out on the water, Mr. Stark!" Peter announced as he walked in with bags in his hands.

"Uh, may I ask who we is?" Tony raised his brows.

"Me." Natasha grinned a little mischievously. "Peter's never been out on a yacht before. And I could use a little sun."

"Don't redheads burst into flames in the sun?" Tony teased. Natasha rolled her eyes at him and put her middle finger up. "It's not my boat. You've gotta ask Ms. Potts." He pointed in the direction of his girlfriend. "Bought that for her last Christmas."

"I think it could do everyone some good getting out on the water." Pepper nodded her head with a smile.

"Yes!" Peter clapped his hands together. Scarlett watched him disappear down the hallway.

"Most of these are your bags, Scarlett." Natasha told her.

"Why did you get me so much?" She furrowed her brows together.

"I'm a firm believer in having an outfit for every occasion." Natasha shrugged her shoulders with a soft smile. "Come on. Help me get these to your room and we can get ready."

"For what?"

"To spend the rest of the day on Pepper's yacht."

Scarlett watched with confused eyes as Natasha carried nearly a dozen bags towards the hallway the rooms were located. She didn't understand these people. They were suppose to be extraordinary heroes, but they were spending the day out on the ocean?

———

Scarlett gazed down at the four bathing suits laying across the end of her bed. Nearly an hour had passed since she last saw Natasha. The Widow left to make sure the rest of her team were getting themselves ready.

Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes flickering from set to set. Luckily, Natasha had taken note of Scarlett's fondness for the color black. All four suits were black. One was a simple bikini and a second one was a one piece. But the third was a one piece with the sides cut out of it and the fourth was a black bikini with a bow between the breasts.

A knock on the door tore her attention away from the suits.

"You almost ready, Scarlett?" Natasha asked through the door.

"Umm, yeah!" Scarlett called back.

She chewed on her bottom lip a little more before picking the simple black bikini and changing into it. She pulled on an oversized hoodie. A pair of shorts were plucked out of one of the bags from Natasha's shopping spree. After slipping the shorts on, Scarlett left her room. The living room was empty with the exception of Natasha, who sat on the edge of the sofa. She had been inspecting her nails when Scarlett came out of her room. Natasha was in a white sheer dress that came up just about to her midthigh. Underneath the dress was a royal blue one piece.

"Are you ready?" She smiled brightly as she looked at Scarlett, who nodded her head in reply. "Do you mind if we walk to the dock? It's not very long."

"I don't care." Scarlett softly shrugged her shoulders.

———

Scarlett's hands were stuffed into the pocket of her hoodie as she walked alongside Natasha.

"I'm proud of you, Scarlett." The redhead glanced over to her daughter.

"Why?" She crinkled her eyebrows together as she met Natasha's gaze.

"You're doing so well with all of this. It's an extremely different setting from the Compound but you're adjusting. You're putting in an effort to tolerate the rest of the team."

"Well it's not easy."

"Believe me, I know." Natasha laughed softly. "They can be a bit.... overwhelming and definitely not the easiest to get along with, but they're family."

Scarlett nodded her head but said nothing.

———

Scarlett sat at the bar inside the yacht. Her knees were crossed and her nails tapped against the marble countertop. Blue eyes were fixated on the main deck just outside. Natasha, Wanda, Pepper and Steve were laying in the sun on chairs while Sam, Rhodey, Bucky, Vision, and Tony were settled around a table underneath an umbrella playing some sort of card game. Bruce, Thor, Peter, and Pietro had disappeared from the deck a while ago.

Scarlett brought her attention down to her hands for a moment. She wanted to go out there and enjoy the sun, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her hoodie. It was Vince. She ignored the call and turned the phone off. She didn't want to talk to him.

"Hey, kid." Steve closed the sliding glass door behind himself. "Are you cold?" He nodded to the hoodie she was wearing.

"No." She answered with a soft shake of her head. She was comfortable in the hoodie. "Just like wearing it."

Steve nodded his head. He moved behind the bar to get a bottle of water from the mini fridge under the counter. She took note of the bullet scar just below his ribs on his left side. Next to that scar was a newer one that appeared only a few months old. Steve noticed this and glanced down to see what she had looked at.

"Bucky gave me that." He tentatively brushed his fingers over the older scar. He almost smiled at the memory. It had happened when he first learned his best friend hadn't died falling from a train. "And you gave me this one." He gestured to the newer one.

"I'm sorry." Scarlett's voice was quiet and timid.

"It's okay." He assured her. He took note of the way she rubbed her forearm, pushing the sleeve to her hoodie up as she did so. There was a vertical scar on her forearm. That got him thinking about the other scars that were visible on her face, neck, and the backs of her hands. Maybe the reason she wouldn't join them outside was because of her scars. "We all have our fair share of scars. They tell our story. Where we began, how far we've come, and what we've had to endure. Don't be ashamed of them."

Scarlett's eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Come on." He nodded for her to follow him. Scarlett watched him move towards the door and slide it open. He paused to wait for her. She slipped off of the barstool and followed him. "I got this one from fighting the Chitauri." Steve tapped his bicep. There was a jagged blotchy scar about two inches long on the inside of his bicep. "And this one is from before I was.... before I was ever Captain America." He brushed his fingertips over a cut on his jaw. "Got into a fight in an alley in Brooklyn with a group of guys Three times my size. One of them pulled a knife on me."

"They would've killed you if I hadn't showed up." Bucky spoke from his seat at the table with Sam, Rhodey, Vision, and Tony. "I got this from saving your ass." Bucky turn his right hand over to show a jagged thick scar across his palm from a blade.

"Never asked you to save me." Steve muttered as he sat down on his chair. Scarlett took a seat in an empty chair at the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steve lean over to whisper something to Natasha.

"I got this from training with Clint." Natasha rubbed the thin scar on the inside of her knee. "When we first met, he wasn't that good with knives."

"I was good, you just moved too much." Clint shook his head as he took a swig of his beer. He pulled his t-shirt up to show a bullet scar on his side. "Got this from a shootout a few years back between S.H.I.E.L.D and a cartel in Central America. Nearly killed me."

Scarlett tensed up when she heard him say that.

"How.... How many years ago?"

"What was it, Nat? Six years ago?" Clint looked to the Widow.

"2009." Natasha nodded her head. "Why do you ask, Scarlett?"

"Where in Central America were you?" She ignored Natasha's question.

"Bogota." The Hawkeye answered. Her eyes dropped to her hands. "Why?"

"I.... remember taking that shot." She nodded her head. She noticed Thor, Pietro, Bruce, and Peter join the team on the deck. Peter sat on the other side of Tony between him and Vision while Thor and Bruce pulled chairs up to the table. Pietro sat at the foot of the lounge chair his sister had claimed.

"No way. You were a kid back then. Hell, you still are."

"I was seventeen." Scarlett softly shrugged her shoulders. "I've been trained to use a rifle since I was twelve."

"Damn." Clint nodded his head, looking down to his beer. "You're a good shot." Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows at him. She expected him to be mad about it, but he didn't seem to be.

"Your turn, Tony." Natasha brought everyone's attention to the Iron Man.

"My turn?" He raised his brows. He let out a soft sigh as he absentmindedly rubbed his arm, thinking of what scar to show. He turned his back to Scarlett to show her a scar on the back of his shoulder. It stretched from just between his shoulder blades all the way out to the side of his arm. "Got that in '09. Made my very first suit in a cave in the middle of the desert with a bunch of scraps. Crash landed it straight into the sand. Hurt like shit."

"I've got a good one." Thor leaned forward in his seat and put his arm across the table to show Scarlett a scar on the back of his hand and across his palm. It looked like teeth marks from some sort of sharp-toothed creature. She noticed other tiny scars on his hand, but the one he had meant for her to pay attention to was the bigger one. "I got that from fighting my first Bilgesnipe centuries ago. The beast clamped its jaw down and nearly ripped my hand clear off."

"What the hell is a Bilgesnipe?" Rhodey furrowed his brows at the god.

"I got this from accidentally stabbing myself in the hand with a pencil." Peter showed her his palm and pointed to a little dark dot near his index finger. Tony shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"Come get in the water with me, Scarlett." Pietro nodded for her to join him as he moved towards the little ledge on the side of the yacht. Scarlett watched him carefully. There was a soft and friendly smile on his lips. He wore a pair of black swim trunks with three silver lines up the sides of the legs. "Or are you too chicken?"

"Don't start a fight you can't finish, Maximoff." Steve shook his head.

"The hell...?" Sam muttered, furrowing his brows at Steve. Bucky did the same as he looked to his blonde best friend.

"Says the punk who _always_ started fights I had to finish for him."

"Shut up, Bucky."

Scarlett knew Pietro was just trying to get her to comply, and he knew just how to do it. She kept her eyes locked with his as she took off her hoodie and shimmied out of her shorts. With a running start, she was jumped off of the boat and swan dived gracefully into the blue ocean.

"Be careful, Pietro." Clint told him. The Hawkeye looked away from the young Avenger to Natasha. "I didn't mean anything—,"

"It's okay." She cut him off, softly nodding her head. She watched as Scarlett surfaced a few yards away from the boat. "She's getting better, but she's still unpredictable. He needs to be cautious."


	25. Twenty-Five

The sun had gone down just a little more than an hour ago. The team sat across the upper deck in a circle of chairs. In the center of the circle was a large metal pit that sat safely off of the ground. The friends were enjoying drinks and sharing stories. Scarlett sat between Pietro and Peter. Her chair was scooted close enough to Pietro's that he could put his hand on the arm rest of her chair. Scarlett's bathing suit had dried off hours ago and now she wore a white t-shirt over the suit. It was Pietro's shirt. He had offered it to her a when she got out of the ocean when he noticed that she didn't seem comfortable in just her swim suit.

Scarlett loosely pulled her knees to her chest and put her head back to look at the stars. Pietro's hand on the arm of her chair moved to rest on the back of her hand. Scarlett lifted her head up and looked at him with furrowed brows. He didn't look in her direction. His eyes were focused on Rhodey, who was sharing a story of one of the many times Tony had gotten intoxicated and done something embarrassing.

Scarlett let out a soft sigh. She pulled her hand from underneath Pietro's and stood up.

"Where are you going, Scar?" Peter asked her as he put a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"I'm cold. I'm going to find a blanket." She answered him.

"Can you get me a soda while you're inside?"

Scarlett nodded her head as she made her way back into the yacht. She moved swiftly down the stairs and went to her room. On her bed was her hoodie from earlier. She pulled out her phone and looked through the notifications. Vince had called her nearly a dozen times while Pierce only called her once. Scarlett silently cursed herself as she dialed Pierce's number.

_"You missed my call earlier."_

"I'm sorry, sir. I haven't been able to have a moment to myself all day."

_"I want an update, agent."_

"They aren't really working right now, Mr. Pierce, sir. I haven't heard any of them talk about anything valuable. But the second I know something, you will know too."

_"You've spent three days with them, Scarlett, and you have nothing to report back?"_

"I've been watching them, sir." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "The way they act, how they behave with one another. I've learned a lot."

_"Good. Don't make a fool out of me, Scarlett. I've got people counting on me and I'm counting on you."_

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir." Scarlett softly nodded her head. "I'll do my best to find out something useful, sir."

_"Good."_

The call ended and Scarlett thought about calling Vince, but she changed her mind at the last minute. She didn't want to talk to him.

So instead, she pulled a small throw blanket from her bed and went into the kitchen to get Peter a soda. Then, she quietly made her way back upstairs to the top deck.

She handed Peter his drink and sat down in her seat. Just as she was getting comfortable, something in the sky crackled and sent a thunderous echo through the air. Scarlett was on her feet in seconds, her eyes looking around for the source of the noise but all she found were colors exploding in the sky.

"It's okay, princessa." Pietro was standing next to her, his hand on her arm as he spoke gently to her. They were more towards the back of the circle so no one had seen her brief moment of panic. "It's just fireworks."

Scarlett watched the sky carefully before she returned to her seat. She threw the small blanket over her bare legs and crossed her knees. As she watched Pietro settle back into his own chair, she reached out to place her hand on his forearm. A soft smile formed on his lips. He wanted to hold her hand but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. So he kept his arm still and allowed her to just hold him. With every loud bang and crack of the fireworks, her grip would tighten momentarily before loosening up. She didn't like the fireworks.

———

Midnight came and went. The last time Scarlett had checked, it was two in the morning. Most of the team had retired to their beds inside the yacht. The fire was still going. Steve and Thor were feeding it wood, making sure it stayed alive. They sat around the circle with Natasha, Rhodey, Pietro, and Tony. Scarlett was leaning against the railing, looking out over the ocean. She had been standing there for nearly an hour and Pietro couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. She had this grace and elegance in the way she carried herself. It was haunting but mesmerizing. She was absolutely stunning.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. It was Wanda. She leaned down over the back of his chair to place a kiss on his cheek.

"You're staring."

"I know." He sighed out, leaning back in his chair. "I thought you went to bed."

"I'm about to." She nodded her head softly. "Be safe with her, Pietro."

He watched his sister disappear into the yacht. A soft sigh escaped his lips. He brought a hand up to brush it over his mouth. He stood to his feet and moved to stand next to Scarlett.

"Did you have fun today?" He leaned against the railing with his elbows. He turned his head so he could study her profile. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I did." She nodded her head gently. There was a shimmer in her eyes that he had never seen before. "I can't tell you the last time I spent the whole day doing absolutely nothing."

"Feels great, doesn't it?"

"It does." She nodded once again. "Let's go for a swim." She started for the stairs that led down to the main deck. She pulled off the white t-shirt of Pietro's and tossed it on to a chair.

"Isn't it a little dangerous to swim in the ocean at night?"

"I thought you liked danger?" She stepped up on to the railing and turned to face him. There was a soft smile on her lips, one that made the Quicksilver's heart flutter.

"I do." He took a few steps towards her as he bit his bottom lip.

"Prove it." Scarlett took a step backwards and vanished over the side of the boat. Pietro went to the side of the yacht and leaned over. Scarlett surfaced just below him. She brushed her dark hair back out of her eyes.

"You're crazy, woman." He smiled down at her. He stepped up on to the edge and front flipped into the water. Scarlett stayed where she was, smiling unbelievably as he surfaced next to her. His hands slipped around her waist and pulled her closer. Their lips met very briefly before Scarlett pushed away.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Maximoff." She put her head back and backstroked away from him.

———

Pietro pulled himself up on to the yacht. Once he was on the main deck, he held his hand out for her. While maintaining eye contact with him, she pulled herself up with ease. Pietro admired the muscles in her arms flexed and made themselves known. He moved to get a towel from one of the chairs on the deck. As she was wringing out her wet hair, he put the towel around her shoulders.

"Goodnight, Pietro." She met his gaze very briefly.

"Goodnight, princessa." Pietro's eyes followed her as she moved towards the door to lead into the yacht. She crossed the main room and disappeared up the spiral staircase. Pietro smiled a little. She was loosening up with him.

When Scarlett got to her room, she tossed the wet towel aside for a moment and began to gather clothes to change into. Her phone buzzed inside the stand by her bed. Scarlett debated on whether to answer it or not. It was either Pierce or Vince and she really didn't want to talk to either right now. With a soft sigh, she went to retrieve the phone from the drawer. She didn't recognize the number.

"Who is this?" She answered the call.

_"If this is Scarlett, it's me, Brody."_

"Brody Winters." Scarlett hummed softly. "I can honestly say I didn't expect to hear from you."

_"Yeah,_ _well it's my fault. I've been on a huge mission in Adelaide for the last six months. Making calls hasn't been easy but I'm done and I want to talk to you. Everyone I've asked has said you've left HYDRA."_

"It's a long and complicated story, Brody." Scarlett moved to the window in her room that overlooked the ocean. "One that I don't want to tell over the phone."

_"Good. I think we should talk face to face. I've got a lot I want to run by you. Wanna meet up for coffee?"_

"I hate coffee." She scowled. "I'm in Malibu."

_"Good. I can be there tomorrow night. Sound good?"_

"That sounds good." Scarlett nodded her head gently.

———

_ One Day Later _   
_12:30am_

Scarlett slipped out of her room. The door closed quietly behind her. She paused for a moment to listen to the rest of the house. Everyone was asleep. She began to make her way for the front door to Tony's mansion. A sudden gust of wind blew her dark hair into her face. Pietro stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to take a walk." Scarlett answered flatly.

"Why aren't you going out to the balcony? That's what you usually do."

"There's a lot on my mind right now, Maximoff, and I don't expect you to understand. So why don't you just get out of my way?" She stopped a few yards away from him with her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets.

"I can't let you leave if you're going to do something bad, princessa." He shook his head softly.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone, Maximoff. I'm only going for a walk. Being locked up in this damn house is driving me insane."

Pietro's brows were softly knitted together as he looked at her.

"Are you leaving again?"

"I'm going to come back. I just need to clear my head before I do something bad." Scarlett held his gaze, making sure that he believed her lie. "I promise."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Sometimes you do a better job at frustrating me than you do calming me down." She shook her head. Pietro let out a gentle sigh before turning around and placing his palm on the scanner by the door.

"You aren't able to leave from sundown to sun up." He told her. Once his palm had been scanned, he typed in a four digit number and the front door opened. "Stark had a lot of security measures put in place around here since you came."

The door popped open. Scarlett watched Pietro step aside and gesture for her to leave.

"Thank you." She gave him a half-assed smile. As she was passing him, she placed her hand on his arm and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back before the sun comes up."

"Don't make me regret this, princessa."

———

The bell above the door dinged as Scarlett entered the diner. Her eyes carefully scanned over the very few customers in the establishment. There was a man sitting in the back of the room with his back to the door. Scarlett's heeled boots clicked against the floor as she moved through the diner. She slipped into the bar across from Agent Brody Winters.

"It's been a minute." He smiled a little as he brought is coffee up to his lips. "How've you been?"

"Did Pierce send you?" Scarlett asked, ignoring his greeting.

"You know he doesn't like or trust me enough for that." Brody shook his head. "I came on my own. Heard from a few agents that you've left. Some said you're with the Avengers now."

"I'm on an assignment, long term. Pierce assigned it to me."

"Because of who your parents are?" Brody asked quietly. She nodded her head softly. "They want a relationship with you?"

"Yeah. They do."

"Then why the hell are you with us still?" Brody furrowed his brows together. "You could have a life outside of HYDRA, Scarlett."

"No I can't, Brody. I'm-I'm always going to be loyal to HYDRA." She firmly shook her head. "They gave me purpose. I owe it to them."

"Scarlett baby, I know you. I understand everything you've ever been through because I've been through the same. You know that. You don't owe HYDRA anything anymore, sweetheart. You've done your time. Now it's time for you to figure out what you want in life. You don't have to take orders from Pierce anymore."

"It's not that easy, Brody." Scarlett let out a soft sigh. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes flickering around the diner.

Brody had been the only person she ever considered a friend. She'd known him for as long as she could remember. He'd always been there for her. He grew up an orphan in HYDRA just like her. With him, she felt like she finally had someone who understood her. She was always free to be herself when she was with him.

"I've tried being good, Brody." Her voice was a quiet whisper as she met his gaze. "It didn't work. I killed three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"Sweetheart, killing is what you were raised to do. It's carved into your bones, but it can be fixed. It's not going to be easy and it's going to take some time, but I know you can do it."

"I can't leave, Brody." She shook her head again. "If I leave, who'll stop Pierce from killing you? You know he wants you gone."

"I've been wanting to get out too." Brody dropped his eyes to his coffee. A soft smile came to his lips. "I met someone in Adelaide. He's a school counselor. He's amazing and he-he knows what I do, Scarlett, but he knows there's good in me. He's going to help me."

"That's good to hear, Brody." Scarlett smiled gently at him. Her mind immediately thought of Pietro. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I heard you talked to Vince."

"That asshole." Brody rolled his eyes.

"You don't agree with what he thinks? About me taking over HYDRA?" Scarlett raised a brow.

"No, Scarlett!" Brody shook his head. "No, no. That's not what I meant. I think you'd make an amazing leader and I'd gladly follow you. But I don't trust him." He avoided her gaze and she noticed this.

"What are you thinking, Brody?" Scarlett asked him. A waitress came over and offered Scarlett coffee but she shook her head.

"Vince just wants to use you, Scarlett." Brody's voice lowered as he spoke.

It was evident he was scared to admit his opinions to Scarlett. Though they were good friends, he knew she had a mean streak and she'd kill anyone. He had witnessed her kill one of the girls they grew up with just a few years ago. Scarlett wasn't as close to her but they had still known each other for so long. He knew Scarlett had the ability to kill anyone, no matter her ties to them–emotional or not.

"You know I think the world of you, Scarlett, baby, but I've never liked Vince." Brody shook his head. "He's just using you because he doesn't have the balls to stand up to Pierce. He knows you and he knows what you are capable of. I think he wants you to do his dirty work. Get rid of Pierce and every other Head and then he'll take the position as leader."

"If I take out the Heads of HYDRA, that position is mine." Scarlett practically growled.

"I overheard Vince talking to Agent Bowman about what would happen after you do that. Vince said he'd take care of it." Brody said. Silence followed his words as Scarlett watched him. "I-I just don't want you to be surprised when he tries to kill you, Scarlett."

"I wouldn't be surprised." She admitted with a soft shake of her head. "I think there was a time where he loved me.... but I don't think I ever loved him."

"I'm sorry, Scarlett."

"Don't be." She shook her head."Brody, I need you to take a step back from Vince's group."

"Why?" Brody furrowed his brows together.

"If I find out that they are thinking about taking me out, every single agent in that group is going to die and I don't want anything happening to you."

Brody paused for a moment before nodding his head.

"So are you going to take the reins?" A little grin crossed his lips. "I think you'd make one badass boss."

"I don't know right now, Brody." Scarlett leaned back in her seat. "I'm going to run something by you, but if I find out you spoke about it to anyone, I won't hesitate—,"

"Scarlett, baby. You're forgetting who I am." Brody shook his head. "I mean, you're talking to the guy who's kept your secrets for almost two decades. Remember back when we were eight when we snuck out of the House and went to the river?"

"Yeah." Scarlett wanted to smile at the memories but she kept herself from doing so. "You almost died of pneumonia."

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was a blizzard out. The river was frozen over. But none of that seemed to bother you. That's when I knew you were special, Scarlett. You're destined for more than just being Pierce's dog."

"There was a time when I thought the world of him." Scarlett admitted quietly. Her voice was soft and hesitant. Her eyes were focused on the window across the room. "I would do anything for him. I'd kill for him.... But now.... now I don't know. I've proven to him time and time again that I am capable of being more than a field agent. But he refuses to let me go up in ranks."

"What are you going to do about it?"

She bit her bottom lip for a moment.

"When the time is right, I'll take what's mine."


	26. Twenty-Six

Scarlett slipped out of her room. It was early in the morning. The Avengers were having breakfast in the kitchen so Scarlett figured now would be a good time to talk to them. She straightened her shirt and let out a soft sigh.

"I have to tell you guys something." She announced as she entered the kitchen. Silence fell around the room and all eyes turned to her. "I didn't come back willingly. I was sent here by Alexander Pierce."

Steve glanced around the table very briefly before looking back at Scarlett.

"What are you trying to say, Scarlett?"

"Pierce sent me here to serve as a spy." She could sense a shift in the air from one of content and happiness to tense and hostile. "He wanted me to use you two to get information." Scarlett's eyes flickered to Bucky and Natasha.

"That's great." Tony let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"But I don't want to do that anymore." She shook her head. "I-I've decided I want to leave HYDRA, for good. I'm not really one to get sentimental, but spending time out on the boat with you guys yesterday...." She trailed off.

"You're being serious?" Bucky asked her. She nodded her head.

"What have you told him so far?" Sam crossed his arms over his chest.

"I haven't told him anything. I've been having a lot of self-conflicting thoughts but after thinking about it through the night, I've decided I want to leave HYDRA. I don't want to be a part of that anymore. I'm tired of hurting people."

Silence fell around the room. Each Avenger looked around at each other before they silently agreed on looking at Steve.

"I'm glad you came to us and told us, Scarlett. It's good to hear you're trying to get better."

Everyone went back to eating, but the conversations stopped. Everyone was silent.

"Is that it?" She furrowed her brows together. "You aren't mad at me?"

"You told us the truth, Lady Scarlett." Thor gave her a little encouraging smile. "Getting mad at you would be pointless. You did nothing wrong."

"No one's mad at you, Scarlett." Natasha shook her head.

Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other before leaving the mansion to go down to the beach.

"I'll go talk to her." The Widow stood from her seat at the table and followed her daughter.

———

The readhead stood back towards the pathway that led back to the mansion. Her arms were crossed as she looked out over the ocean. The wind whipped her red locks into her face. Scarlett stood closer to the water with her hands by her sides.

"I'm really proud of you, Scarlett." Natasha finally spoke. "You did a good thing today, coming to us and telling us."

Scarlett softly nodded her head. She could feel someone watching her. She turned her head towards Natasha but her eyes flickered up to the top of the pathway. Pietro stood at the top of the cliff, his eyes focused on her and his hands stuffed into his pockets. Natasha followed her gaze and smiled softly.

"I think he likes you."

"He's an idiot." Scarlett rolled her eyes. She tore her gaze away from the young Avenger when he disappeared.

"I heard from a little bird that you've got a boyfriend." Natasha raised an eyebrow at Scarlett, who only nodded her head softly. "What's his name?"

"Vince."

"Is he a good man?"

"No, but he's all I've had for a long time." Scarlett answered flatly.

"Does he treat you good?"

"For the most part."

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't decided if I want to kill him for putting his hands on me or for plotting against me." Scarlett turned to go further down the beach. Natasha took this as her sign to leave Scarlett alone.

———

Pietro was sitting on the balcony that overlooked the ocean. As Scarlett made her way up the stairs, he met her gaze. A soft smile crossed his lips.

"What?" She stopped in her tracks, thinking maybe she had done something. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Can't I just smile at you?"

Scarlett said nothing in reply. Pietro patted the arm of his chair, his eyes briefly glancing over her form. She was in a pair of black jeans with a black mock neck tank top tucked in. She sat down on the arm of the chair.

"You amaze me, you know?" His accented voice was a gentle whisper as he brushed his fingers through her dark hair that fell over her shoulder.

"What makes you say that?" Scarlett hummed softly.

"You came back after you left. And you told all of us the truth. And to be honest, I didn't really believe you would."

"I'm tired of being what they want me to be."

"You're more than that." Pietro leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her arm. "Better than that."

"Guys! Guys!" Peter practically sprinted out of the house and on to the balcony. "There's a carnival in Santa Barbara tonight! Mr. Stark said I could go but there has to be an adult."

"Would you want to go, princessa?" Pietro asked her, his hand falling to her lower back.

"I've never been to a carnival." She admitted, glancing back at him. A grin crossed his lips.

"We'll come, Parker." Pietro nodded his head.

"Thank you!" Peter took Scarlett's hand and pulled her back into the house. "Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Scarlett and Pietro will go with me tonight!"

"Yikes." Tony winced. He was behind the bar getting a cup of coffee. "Pep?"

"You said adult. You should've been more specific." Pepper said. She sat at the table in the kitchen. With her were Natasha, Steve, and Rhodey.

"Scarlett's two years older than Pietro." Peter reminded them. "She's an adult. She's super serious and practical _all_ the time."

"That's not what I'm concerned about, kid." Tony shook his head.

Peter frowned and his shoulders slumped.

"It's me, Peter." Scarlett said. She didn't want to be the reason he didn't get to have fun at the carnival. He seemed so excited for it just a few minutes ago. "It's okay. You two can go and you can take Wanda. I'll be fine here."

"That's not entirely it either, Scar." Tony shook his head. "Carnivals are full of people in tight spaces, big crowds, and lots of loud noises."

"I'll be there." Pietro stepped forward. "I'll make sure she's okay."

Tony looked to Natasha.

"This is your call, mom."

"I think you might enjoy the carnival." Natasha smiled softly at her daughter.

"Yes!" Peter threw his hands into the air and turned to hug Scarlett. "Thank you! I'm gonna go tell Wanda!"

Scarlett watched him dash out of the room.

"You'll keep an eye on things, Maximoff?" Steve asked him. Pietro nodded his head.

———

The carnival didn't start until later on in the evening so Scarlett had all day to mess around and figure out what exactly was expected from her at this carnival. She knew what they were but she had never been to one before.

"Scarlett?" Wanda knocked on the door to her room. "Peter wanted me to check on you. We need to be leaving soon."

Scarlett abandoned the pile of clothes on her bed and went to open the door. Wanda stepped back, clearly surprised that Scarlett opened the door.

"I don't know what to wear." She admitted quietly. Wanda shifted her weight from one foot to the other, debating on what to do. She could go in and help Scarlett.... Or she could just walk away.

"I'll help you." The Witch stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind herself. "It's going to be hot tonight so pants and a sweatshirt probably isn't the best thing to wear." Wanda took note of all the clothes Scarlett had pulled out of her closet and dressers and piled on to her bed. "What's this?"

"I made a.... pile." Scarlett absentmindedly rubbed her arm. She hated feeling stupid and helpless but she wanted to fit in tonight. She didn't want to stick out. "I don't know. I was just going through shit."

"How about.... this, and this." Wanda pulled a black denim skirt and a dark green t-shirt from the pile. "Add a pair of white tennis shoes and you're good to go."

"Really?" Scarlett furrowed her brows together. "That's it?"

"Yeah." Wanda nodded her head softly as she began to make her way towards the door. "Hurry up. Santa Barbara is an hour away."

Scarlett watched the door close behind the Avenger. She looked back down at the outfit. It didn't seem like a terrible pick. The colors weren't bright so they wouldn't attract anyone's attention. With a heavy sigh, Scarlett changed into the outfit and put on a pair of white tennis shoes. Her eyes glided over to the mirror that hung on the inside of her closest door. The outfit just didn't look right. Scarlett bit her bottom lip. Maybe tucking in her shirt. After tucking the green shirt into her skirt, she felt content with her outfit. Before she left her room, she slipped a pocket knife into her skirt.

———

Pietro pulled the door open for Scarlett and held his hand out for her. She placed her hand in his as she climbed out of the back of Tony's Audi A5.

"You look beautiful tonight." He murmured softly in her ear as he wrapped his arm around her waist. A small smile tugged at her lips. "I like your hair down."

Scarlett watched as Wanda and Vision, who no longer looked like a purple android but like a blonde man, left the car to go towards the gate to the carnival. Peter followed right behind them. Scarlett could hear the loud music coming from within the carnival. There were dozens of people making their way into the gate.

"Are you worried?" Pietro quietly asked her as he started to lead her towards the gate.

"About what?"

"Anything." He glanced over to her, electric blue eyes studying her face. "The crowd, the noises.... I noticed you don't like loud noises."

"What makes you say that?" Scarlett was curious as to where he got this from. She didn't believe she had ever let on that she didn't like loud sounds.

"The fireworks the other night. You aren't the only one who watches people, princessa." He teased softly. Scarlett watched as Pietro handed the man at a window in the booth labeled _tickets_ money and in turn, the man gave him two pieces of bright orange paper. Once inside the gate, Pietro took Scarlett to a little area by the chain link fence that was devoid of any people. He ripped the two long strips of orange paper in half. "Give me your hand, princessa."

Scarlett silently raised her hand up so he could take it. The orange paper band was wrapped securely around her wrist. Pietro put the second piece around his own wrist. Her eyes flickered up to look at him. A soft smile was on his lips.

"Why do you keep smiling at me?"

"Because you amaze me."

"Stop saying that." Scarlett moved away from him. She wanted to explore the carnival, not just stand by the entrance and let Pietro gawk at her like the idiot he was.

"Do you mind if I hold your hand, princessa?" He asked as he walked alongside her.

"I don't mind." She answered him softly. Pietro laced their fingers together, giving her a gentle squeeze.

———

Scarlett watched as Pietro played a game to win his sister a stuffed elephant. Peter cheered Pietro on, stuffing cotton candy into his mouth while Vision and Wanda chatted quietly from beside the rowdy high schooler. Scarlett stood off to the side, holding the stuffed teddy bear with a red bow in her arms. Pietro had won it for her playing a dart and balloon game. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She almost forgot that she had even brought the device with her. She checked the caller ID. It was Vince. Giving Pietro one last glance, she slipped away and started to walk through the carnival.

"Hey, Vince."

_"Jesus Christ, Scarlett. Why the hell haven't you answered any of my calls?"_

"It's not easy to get a moment to myself with the Avengers on my ass." Scarlett moved away from the loud sounds coming from the rides. There was a section of the carnival with a few benches. It was quieter there.

_"How are things going with them? You learn anything good?"_

"You know I can't talk about an assignment with you, especially not over the phone." Scarlett sat down on a bench and crossed her knees.

_"I know. I just don't like you being with them. Winters called me out of the blue yesterday."_

"Oh yeah?" Scarlett leaned back on the bench and placed the teddy bear next to her. "What about?"

_"He wanted to talk about the timeline for us taking out Pierce and the others."_

"That's something we still need to talk about." Scarlett's eyes flickered over the a group of people as they passed her. "I want something solid, not just a bunch of your buddies getting together to talk about shit that irritates them with the current leadership."

_"That's definitely going to happen, baby. I just gotta figure out when you're available next."_

"If you come to California, we can talk."

_"Let me take a look at shit I'm suppose to be doing and see if I can make it down in the next few days."_

"Sounds good. I've got to go but I'll talk to you later." Scarlett hung up before Vince could say anything. As she was tucking her phone into the pocket of her skirt, a boy sat down next to her. He appeared maybe sixteen or seventeen. Another boy the same age sat down on the other side of him. Scarlett could sense someone behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see six more teenaged boys.

"What're you doing all alone, sweetheart?" The one who sat closest to her asked. He must be the leader.

"I'm waiting for someone." She answered flatly, her eyes flickering to where Pietro had been just moments ago. He was gone.

"We could keep you company." A boy standing behind her suggested.

"Yeah. We make great company." One of them snickered.

"I don't need or want your company."

"Ooh. She's a feisty one, boys." The leader chuckled. He placed his hand on her knee and moved it up, pushing her skirt up just a little. Scarlett's eyes narrowed. Her jaw locked. She immediately remembered she had a knife on her, but something stopped her from pulling it out.

_Do not kill him. Do not kill him. Pietro wouldn't want you to. He'd be devastated._

"Take your hand off of me." She growled through her teeth.

"Come on, sweetheart. I can show you a good time. Maybe help you loosen up a little."

Scarlett placed her hand on his hand that was on her thigh and for a moment, she could see the excitement in his disgusting gaze. He thought she was giving in to him. He couldn't be more wrong. He let out a cry of pain as Scarlett bent his fingers back until she heard them snap.

She stood to her feet and turned to face the boys.

"What the hell was that, you stupid bitch!" One of the boys shouted at her. A gust of wind blew Scarlett's hair into her face. A smirk crossed her lips. Pietro stood next to her, his arm finding its way around her waist.

"What's going on, princessa?"

"That stupid bitch broke my hand!" The boy stood to his feet. Pietro looked to Scarlett for an answer.

"He put his hands on me. He's lucky I didn't break his neck."

"Come on. They aren't worth it." Pietro placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I want to go on the ferris wheel."

Scarlett nodded her head and let him take the lead. Their fingers intertwined as he guided her away from the troublesome boys.

"I think you handled that good." Pietro complimented her.

"Thanks." Scarlett happily smiled at him. "You know, you're the reason I didn't pull a knife on them."

"Really?" A slight grin tugged at his lips as he looked over to her.

"I knew you wouldn't be happy with me if I killed them."

"I'm proud of you, princessa." He leaned over to kiss her temple. "Where's the knife?" The words were breathed agai st her skin.

"What.... What knife?"

"The knife you're carrying."

"In my back pocket." Scarlett muttered. Pietro let her hand go so he could slip his fingers into her left back pocket. He pulled out the knife and put it in the pocket of his shorts.

"I'll give it back to you when we get home."

 _Home_. Scarlett nodded her head gently. An unfamiliar warmth spread across her her chest.

———

Scarlett sat with Peter, Vision, and Wanda at a picnic table. Pietro had run to get his jacket from the car. Before he left, he asked that the four of them stay together until he got back. Scarlett and Vision sat at the table like normal people while Peter and Wanda sat on the table, excitedly talking about their favorite rides. Scarlett stood to her feet, her stuffed bear from Pietro still tucked under one of her arms while she held a cup in her hand.

"Where are you going, Scar?" Peter asked her.

"I don't want to sit anymore." She answered. "I don't like sitting." Her eyes very briefly flickered over the entrance to the carnival where she expected to see the silvery haired boy that had stolen her attention.

Pietro was talking to a girl. She was blonde with tan skin. She wore very short shorts and a cropped white t-shirt. Scarlett stopped pacing around the table, her feet frozen to the ground as she watched him carefully. He wore a charming smile across his lips as he gazed down at her. He nodded his head and laughed at something she said. Scarlett's stomach churned as she watched them. The girl stepped closer to him, putting her hand on his torso. He didn't seem to mind her putting her hands on him. He didn't step away or look uncomfortable. He _wanted_ her. His eyes flickered down to her low cut top. That was the last straw.

Scarlett could feel a familiar burn in her stomach. Anger was making its way into her veins. She was so niave and stupid to think that he was any different than Vince, than any other man that she'd met. Vince never shied away from gawking at other girls even with Scarlett around.

She harshly placed the stuffed bear and her drink down on the table before storming towards the entrance. She passed behind the blonde girl without looking at Pietro.

"Where are you going, princessa?" Pietro asked as he began to follow her.

"Get the hell away from me." She spun around to face him.

"What's wrong, princessa—,"

"Don't you dare call me that!" She raised her voice. "Go back to that blonde bitch. I'm sure she'd love to have you call her that."

"Scarlett, I don't understand." Pietro watched with furrowed brows as Scarlett moved away from him.

"I was so stupid to think you were different." She shook her head. Pietro ran to catch up to her. "So fucking stupid!"

"Scarlett, tell me what's wrong." He put his hand on her arm. She whirled around to face him, smacking his hand off of her.

" _Don't_ put your damn hands on me." She growled through her teeth. Anger and pain swarmed her gaze as she looked up at him. "You let that bitch put her hands all over you."

"We were just talking, Scarlett. I'm not interested in her."

"Sure didn't seem like it when you were staring at her chest!"

"Scarlett—,"

"No, no. I get it." She cut him off, taking a few steps back to put distance between them. "I really do. You want a girl who's able to be comfortable around you the way she was. You want a girl who won't put up a damn fight every time you try to have a conversation with her. You want a girl who isn't afraid to let the world know exactly who she is, who is confident with what she wants in life. You want a girl who doesn't look like she just got out of fucking boot camp. You want a girl who's got more boobs and ass than she does muscle." Hot tears burned Scarlett's vision. She tried to blink them away but they just ended up leaving her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. "You deserve someone better than me. She's better than me, so go."

"Princessa, I don't want her." Pietro spoke gently as he took a step towards her. She stepped back so he didn't try to get any closer to her. "I'm-I'm sorry I upset you. I didn't mean to, and I definitely didn't mean to make you feel like you're unsuitable for me."

Scarlett shook her head as she turned to move through the parking lot. Pietro sprinted to stand in front of her, blocking her path. She abruptly stopped, glossy eyes flickering up to meet his gaze. Her jaw was locked tightly and her hands clenched in fists by her sides. She was angry and rightfully so. How could he be so stupid?

"Princessa, I want you." His voice was soft velvet as he spoke to her. Something inside him ached at the sight of her crying. He had caused it. He made her cry.

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do." He reaches out to take her hand. "She's nothing compared to you."

Scarlett let his hand go. Her hand came up to cover her mouth. This gave Pietro the ability to see just how upset she was. Her fingers were trembling and her breathing was labored. This was what she feared. She opened up to him and let him in and now he was taking advantage of that.

"You'll realize one day that I'm no good for you."

"That's not true, princessa." He softly shook his head. "I'm-I'm sorry I've hurt you."

Scarlett's hand fell from her mouth and she took a deep breath. He held his hand out for her to take. She hesitated, her eyes carefully watching his hands. She placed her smaller hand in his and allowed him to pull her into his muscular arms.

"I'm so sorry, princessa. I never want to make you cry." Pietro placed a delicate kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

He held her for a long time, quietly murmuring soft words to her and brushing his fingers through her hair. Her breathing had slowed down and she no longer trembled in his hold.

"Do you want to go back to the others?"

"Yeah." Scarlett pulled herself out of his arms and started to walk towards Peter, Vision, and Wanda. Pietro didn't let her get too far. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. It was chaste and didn't last long. Scarlett pulled away, her deep blue eyes finding his. Her hands gripped his firm biceps. One of his hands held the side of her neck while the other rested on her hip.

At the same moment, both leaned in to kiss once more. This time, it was more passionate, more hungry. Scarlett gingerly bit his bottom lip and tugged, drawing a moan that vibrated in his chest. She took over his senses, blinding the rest of the world around them. She tasted sweet, like fruit, and she smelled of vanilla and honey. Her hold on his arms burned in a way that made him want more. He was sure her tight grip would leave bruises but he didn't care.

His hands slipped down to her backside, cupping just underneath her ass. With one simple shove, he pulled her into him, forcing her body tighter to his. Their lips parted for a brief moment so Scarlett could take a breath but Pietro wasn't ready to stop. His lips ghosted down her jaw to the pulse on her neck. Her grip on his arms tightened considerably. A soft gasp escaped her lips when he bit right where her pulse was.

"Shit." She cursed, her fingers finding their way to his hair. She tugged on the silvery locks, urging him to stop attacking her neck. He pulled away, a proud smirk on his lips. She held his gaze for a few heartbeats before leaning forward to place her forehead against his chest. "You make me feel things I didn't believe in." Her words were a gentle whisper.

Pietro said nothing. He rested his chin on the top of her head. This was what he wanted. He craved her gentle touch and her soft words. He craved to see _who_ she was and not who she let everyone _think_ she was.


	27. Twenty-Seven

Scarlett slipped out of her room. It was early in the morning. The Avengers were having breakfast in the kitchen so Scarlett figured now would be a good time to talk to them. She straightened her shirt and let out a soft sigh.

"I have to tell you guys something." She announced as she entered the kitchen. Silence fell around the room and all eyes turned to her. "I didn't come back willingly. I was sent here by Alexander Pierce."

Steve glanced around the table very briefly before looking back at Scarlett.

"What are you trying to say, Scarlett?"

"Pierce sent me here to serve as a spy." She could sense a shift in the air from one of content and happiness to tense and hostile. "He wanted me to use you two to get information." Scarlett's eyes flickered to Bucky and Natasha.

"That's great." Tony let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"But I don't want to do that anymore." She shook her head. "I-I've decided I want to leave HYDRA, for good. I'm not really one to get sentimental, but spending time out on the boat with you guys yesterday...." She trailed off.

"You're being serious?" Bucky asked her. She nodded her head.

"What have you told him so far?" Sam crossed his arms over his chest.

"I haven't told him anything. I've been having a lot of self-conflicting thoughts but after thinking about it through the night, I've decided I want to leave HYDRA. I don't want to be a part of that anymore. I'm tired of hurting people."

Silence fell around the room. Each Avenger looked around at each other before they silently agreed on looking at Steve.

"I'm glad you came to us and told us, Scarlett. It's good to hear you're trying to get better."

Everyone went back to eating, but the conversations stopped. Everyone was silent.

"Is that it?" She furrowed her brows together. "You aren't mad at me?"

"You told us the truth, Lady Scarlett." Thor gave her a little encouraging smile. "Getting mad at you would be pointless. You did nothing wrong."

"No one's mad at you, Scarlett." Natasha shook her head.

Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other before leaving the mansion to go down to the beach.

"I'll go talk to her." The Widow stood from her seat at the table and followed her daughter.

———

The readhead stood back towards the pathway that led back to the mansion. Her arms were crossed as she looked out over the ocean. The wind whipped her red locks into her face. Scarlett stood closer to the water with her hands by her sides.

"I'm really proud of you, Scarlett." Natasha finally spoke. "You did a good thing today, coming to us and telling us."

Scarlett softly nodded her head. She could feel someone watching her. She turned her head towards Natasha but her eyes flickered up to the top of the pathway. Pietro stood at the top of the cliff, his eyes focused on her and his hands stuffed into his pockets. Natasha followed her gaze and smiled softly.

"I think he likes you."

"He's an idiot." Scarlett rolled her eyes. She tore her gaze away from the young Avenger when he disappeared.

"I heard from a little bird that you've got a boyfriend." Natasha raised an eyebrow at Scarlett, who only nodded her head softly. "What's his name?"

"Vince."

"Is he a good man?"

"No, but he's all I've had for a long time." Scarlett answered flatly.

"Does he treat you good?"

"For the most part."

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't decided if I want to kill him for putting his hands on me or for plotting against me." Scarlett turned to go further down the beach. Natasha took this as her sign to leave Scarlett alone.

———

Pietro was sitting on the balcony that overlooked the ocean. As Scarlett made her way up the stairs, he met her gaze. A soft smile crossed his lips.

"What?" She stopped in her tracks, thinking maybe she had done something. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Can't I just smile at you?"

Scarlett said nothing in reply. Pietro patted the arm of his chair, his eyes briefly glancing over her form. She was in a pair of black jeans with a black mock neck tank top tucked in. She sat down on the arm of the chair.

"You amaze me, you know?" His accented voice was a gentle whisper as he brushed his fingers through her dark hair that fell over her shoulder.

"What makes you say that?" Scarlett hummed softly.

"You came back after you left. And you told all of us the truth. And to be honest, I didn't really believe you would."

"I'm tired of being what they want me to be."

"You're more than that." Pietro leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her arm. "Better than that."

"Guys! Guys!" Peter practically sprinted out of the house and on to the balcony. "There's a carnival in Santa Barbara tonight! Mr. Stark said I could go but there has to be an adult."

"Would you want to go, princessa?" Pietro asked her, his hand falling to her lower back.

"I've never been to a carnival." She admitted, glancing back at him. A grin crossed his lips.

"We'll come, Parker." Pietro nodded his head.

"Thank you!" Peter took Scarlett's hand and pulled her back into the house. "Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Scarlett and Pietro will go with me tonight!"

"Yikes." Tony winced. He was behind the bar getting a cup of coffee. "Pep?"

"You said adult. You should've been more specific." Pepper said. She sat at the table in the kitchen. With her were Natasha, Steve, and Rhodey.

"Scarlett's two years older than Pietro." Peter reminded them. "She's an adult. She's super serious and practical _all_ the time."

"That's not what I'm concerned about, kid." Tony shook his head.

Peter frowned and his shoulders slumped.

"It's me, Peter." Scarlett said. She didn't want to be the reason he didn't get to have fun at the carnival. He seemed so excited for it just a few minutes ago. "It's okay. You two can go and you can take Wanda. I'll be fine here."

"That's not entirely it either, Scar." Tony shook his head. "Carnivals are full of people in tight spaces, big crowds, and lots of loud noises."

"I'll be there." Pietro stepped forward. "I'll make sure she's okay."

Tony looked to Natasha.

"This is your call, mom."

"I think you might enjoy the carnival." Natasha smiled softly at her daughter.

"Yes!" Peter threw his hands into the air and turned to hug Scarlett. "Thank you! I'm gonna go tell Wanda!"

Scarlett watched him dash out of the room.

"You'll keep an eye on things, Maximoff?" Steve asked him. Pietro nodded his head.

———

The carnival didn't start until later on in the evening so Scarlett had all day to mess around and figure out what exactly was expected from her at this carnival. She knew what they were but she had never been to one before.

"Scarlett?" Wanda knocked on the door to her room. "Peter wanted me to check on you. We need to be leaving soon."

Scarlett abandoned the pile of clothes on her bed and went to open the door. Wanda stepped back, clearly surprised that Scarlett opened the door.

"I don't know what to wear." She admitted quietly. Wanda shifted her weight from one foot to the other, debating on what to do. She could go in and help Scarlett.... Or she could just walk away.

"I'll help you." The Witch stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind herself. "It's going to be hot tonight so pants and a sweatshirt probably isn't the best thing to wear." Wanda took note of all the clothes Scarlett had pulled out of her closet and dressers and piled on to her bed. "What's this?"

"I made a.... pile." Scarlett absentmindedly rubbed her arm. She hated feeling stupid and helpless but she wanted to fit in tonight. She didn't want to stick out. "I don't know. I was just going through shit."

"How about.... this, and this." Wanda pulled a black denim skirt and a dark green t-shirt from the pile. "Add a pair of white tennis shoes and you're good to go."

"Really?" Scarlett furrowed her brows together. "That's it?"

"Yeah." Wanda nodded her head softly as she began to make her way towards the door. "Hurry up. Santa Barbara is an hour away."

Scarlett watched the door close behind the Avenger. She looked back down at the outfit. It didn't seem like a terrible pick. The colors weren't bright so they wouldn't attract anyone's attention. With a heavy sigh, Scarlett changed into the outfit and put on a pair of white tennis shoes. Her eyes glided over to the mirror that hung on the inside of her closest door. The outfit just didn't look right. Scarlett bit her bottom lip. Maybe tucking in her shirt. After tucking the green shirt into her skirt, she felt content with her outfit. Before she left her room, she slipped a pocket knife into her skirt.

———

Pietro pulled the door open for Scarlett and held his hand out for her. She placed her hand in his as she climbed out of the back of Tony's Audi A5.

"You look beautiful tonight." He murmured softly in her ear as he wrapped his arm around her waist. A small smile tugged at her lips. "I like your hair down."

Scarlett watched as Wanda and Vision, who no longer looked like a purple android but like a blonde man, left the car to go towards the gate to the carnival. Peter followed right behind them. Scarlett could hear the loud music coming from within the carnival. There were dozens of people making their way into the gate.

"Are you worried?" Pietro quietly asked her as he started to lead her towards the gate.

"About what?"

"Anything." He glanced over to her, electric blue eyes studying her face. "The crowd, the noises.... I noticed you don't like loud noises."

"What makes you say that?" Scarlett was curious as to where he got this from. She didn't believe she had ever let on that she didn't like loud sounds.

"The fireworks the other night. You aren't the only one who watches people, princessa." He teased softly. Scarlett watched as Pietro handed the man at a window in the booth labeled _tickets_ money and in turn, the man gave him two pieces of bright orange paper. Once inside the gate, Pietro took Scarlett to a little area by the chain link fence that was devoid of any people. He ripped the two long strips of orange paper in half. "Give me your hand, princessa."

Scarlett silently raised her hand up so he could take it. The orange paper band was wrapped securely around her wrist. Pietro put the second piece around his own wrist. Her eyes flickered up to look at him. A soft smile was on his lips.

"Why do you keep smiling at me?"

"Because you amaze me."

"Stop saying that." Scarlett moved away from him. She wanted to explore the carnival, not just stand by the entrance and let Pietro gawk at her like the idiot he was.

"Do you mind if I hold your hand, princessa?" He asked as he walked alongside her.

"I don't mind." She answered him softly. Pietro laced their fingers together, giving her a gentle squeeze.

———

Scarlett watched as Pietro played a game to win his sister a stuffed elephant. Peter cheered Pietro on, stuffing cotton candy into his mouth while Vision and Wanda chatted quietly from beside the rowdy high schooler. Scarlett stood off to the side, holding the stuffed teddy bear with a red bow in her arms. Pietro had won it for her playing a dart and balloon game. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She almost forgot that she had even brought the device with her. She checked the caller ID. It was Vince. Giving Pietro one last glance, she slipped away and started to walk through the carnival.

"Hey, Vince."

_"Jesus Christ, Scarlett. Why the hell haven't you answered any of my calls?"_

"It's not easy to get a moment to myself with the Avengers on my ass." Scarlett moved away from the loud sounds coming from the rides. There was a section of the carnival with a few benches. It was quieter there.

_"How are things going with them? You learn anything good?"_

"You know I can't talk about an assignment with you, especially not over the phone." Scarlett sat down on a bench and crossed her knees.

_"I know. I just don't like you being with them. Winters called me out of the blue yesterday."_

"Oh yeah?" Scarlett leaned back on the bench and placed the teddy bear next to her. "What about?"

_"He wanted to talk about the timeline for us taking out Pierce and the others."_

"That's something we still need to talk about." Scarlett's eyes flickered over the a group of people as they passed her. "I want something solid, not just a bunch of your buddies getting together to talk about shit that irritates them with the current leadership."

_"That's definitely going to happen, baby. I just gotta figure out when you're available next."_

"If you come to California, we can talk."

_"Let me take a look at shit I'm suppose to be doing and see if I can make it down in the next few days."_

"Sounds good. I've got to go but I'll talk to you later." Scarlett hung up before Vince could say anything. As she was tucking her phone into the pocket of her skirt, a boy sat down next to her. He appeared maybe sixteen or seventeen. Another boy the same age sat down on the other side of him. Scarlett could sense someone behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see six more teenaged boys.

"What're you doing all alone, sweetheart?" The one who sat closest to her asked. He must be the leader.

"I'm waiting for someone." She answered flatly, her eyes flickering to where Pietro had been just moments ago. He was gone.

"We could keep you company." A boy standing behind her suggested.

"Yeah. We make great company." One of them snickered.

"I don't need or want your company."

"Ooh. She's a feisty one, boys." The leader chuckled. He placed his hand on her knee and moved it up, pushing her skirt up just a little. Scarlett's eyes narrowed. Her jaw locked. She immediately remembered she had a knife on her, but something stopped her from pulling it out.

_Do not kill him. Do not kill him. Pietro wouldn't want you to. He'd be devastated._

"Take your hand off of me." She growled through her teeth.

"Come on, sweetheart. I can show you a good time. Maybe help you loosen up a little."

Scarlett placed her hand on his hand that was on her thigh and for a moment, she could see the excitement in his disgusting gaze. He thought she was giving in to him. He couldn't be more wrong. He let out a cry of pain as Scarlett bent his fingers back until she heard them snap.

She stood to her feet and turned to face the boys.

"What the hell was that, you stupid bitch!" One of the boys shouted at her. A gust of wind blew Scarlett's hair into her face. A smirk crossed her lips. Pietro stood next to her, his arm finding its way around her waist.

"What's going on, princessa?"

"That stupid bitch broke my hand!" The boy stood to his feet. Pietro looked to Scarlett for an answer.

"He put his hands on me. He's lucky I didn't break his neck."

"Come on. They aren't worth it." Pietro placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I want to go on the ferris wheel."

Scarlett nodded her head and let him take the lead. Their fingers intertwined as he guided her away from the troublesome boys.

"I think you handled that good." Pietro complimented her.

"Thanks." Scarlett happily smiled at him. "You know, you're the reason I didn't pull a knife on them."

"Really?" A slight grin tugged at his lips as he looked over to her.

"I knew you wouldn't be happy with me if I killed them."

"I'm proud of you, princessa." He leaned over to kiss her temple. "Where's the knife?" The words were breathed agai st her skin.

"What.... What knife?"

"The knife you're carrying."

"In my back pocket." Scarlett muttered. Pietro let her hand go so he could slip his fingers into her left back pocket. He pulled out the knife and put it in the pocket of his shorts.

"I'll give it back to you when we get home."

 _Home_. Scarlett nodded her head gently. An unfamiliar warmth spread across her her chest.

———

Scarlett sat with Peter, Vision, and Wanda at a picnic table. Pietro had run to get his jacket from the car. Before he left, he asked that the four of them stay together until he got back. Scarlett and Vision sat at the table like normal people while Peter and Wanda sat on the table, excitedly talking about their favorite rides. Scarlett stood to her feet, her stuffed bear from Pietro still tucked under one of her arms while she held a cup in her hand.

"Where are you going, Scar?" Peter asked her.

"I don't want to sit anymore." She answered. "I don't like sitting." Her eyes very briefly flickered over the entrance to the carnival where she expected to see the silvery haired boy that had stolen her attention.

Pietro was talking to a girl. She was blonde with tan skin. She wore very short shorts and a cropped white t-shirt. Scarlett stopped pacing around the table, her feet frozen to the ground as she watched him carefully. He wore a charming smile across his lips as he gazed down at her. He nodded his head and laughed at something she said. Scarlett's stomach churned as she watched them. The girl stepped closer to him, putting her hand on his torso. He didn't seem to mind her putting her hands on him. He didn't step away or look uncomfortable. He _wanted_ her. His eyes flickered down to her low cut top. That was the last straw.

Scarlett could feel a familiar burn in her stomach. Anger was making its way into her veins. She was so niave and stupid to think that he was any different than Vince, than any other man that she'd met. Vince never shied away from gawking at other girls even with Scarlett around.

She harshly placed the stuffed bear and her drink down on the table before storming towards the entrance. She passed behind the blonde girl without looking at Pietro.

"Where are you going, princessa?" Pietro asked as he began to follow her.

"Get the hell away from me." She spun around to face him.

"What's wrong, princessa—,"

"Don't you dare call me that!" She raised her voice. "Go back to that blonde bitch. I'm sure she'd love to have you call her that."

"Scarlett, I don't understand." Pietro watched with furrowed brows as Scarlett moved away from him.

"I was so stupid to think you were different." She shook her head. Pietro ran to catch up to her. "So fucking stupid!"

"Scarlett, tell me what's wrong." He put his hand on her arm. She whirled around to face him, smacking his hand off of her.

" _Don't_ put your damn hands on me." She growled through her teeth. Anger and pain swarmed her gaze as she looked up at him. "You let that bitch put her hands all over you."

"We were just talking, Scarlett. I'm not interested in her."

"Sure didn't seem like it when you were staring at her chest!"

"Scarlett—,"

"No, no. I get it." She cut him off, taking a few steps back to put distance between them. "I really do. You want a girl who's able to be comfortable around you the way she was. You want a girl who won't put up a damn fight every time you try to have a conversation with her. You want a girl who isn't afraid to let the world know exactly who she is, who is confident with what she wants in life. You want a girl who doesn't look like she just got out of fucking boot camp. You want a girl who's got more boobs and ass than she does muscle." Hot tears burned Scarlett's vision. She tried to blink them away but they just ended up leaving her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. "You deserve someone better than me. She's better than me, so go."

"Princessa, I don't want her." Pietro spoke gently as he took a step towards her. She stepped back so he didn't try to get any closer to her. "I'm-I'm sorry I upset you. I didn't mean to, and I definitely didn't mean to make you feel like you're unsuitable for me."

Scarlett shook her head as she turned to move through the parking lot. Pietro sprinted to stand in front of her, blocking her path. She abruptly stopped, glossy eyes flickering up to meet his gaze. Her jaw was locked tightly and her hands clenched in fists by her sides. She was angry and rightfully so. How could he be so stupid?

"Princessa, I want you." His voice was soft velvet as he spoke to her. Something inside him ached at the sight of her crying. He had caused it. He made her cry.

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do." He reaches out to take her hand. "She's nothing compared to you."

Scarlett let his hand go. Her hand came up to cover her mouth. This gave Pietro the ability to see just how upset she was. Her fingers were trembling and her breathing was labored. This was what she feared. She opened up to him and let him in and now he was taking advantage of that.

"You'll realize one day that I'm no good for you."

"That's not true, princessa." He softly shook his head. "I'm-I'm sorry I've hurt you."

Scarlett's hand fell from her mouth and she took a deep breath. He held his hand out for her to take. She hesitated, her eyes carefully watching his hands. She placed her smaller hand in his and allowed him to pull her into his muscular arms.

"I'm so sorry, princessa. I never want to make you cry." Pietro placed a delicate kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

He held her for a long time, quietly murmuring soft words to her and brushing his fingers through her hair. Her breathing had slowed down and she no longer trembled in his hold.

"Do you want to go back to the others?"

"Yeah." Scarlett pulled herself out of his arms and started to walk towards Peter, Vision, and Wanda. Pietro didn't let her get too far. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. It was chaste and didn't last long. Scarlett pulled away, her deep blue eyes finding his. Her hands gripped his firm biceps. One of his hands held the side of her neck while the other rested on her hip.

At the same moment, both leaned in to kiss once more. This time, it was more passionate, more hungry. Scarlett gingerly bit his bottom lip and tugged, drawing a moan that vibrated in his chest. She took over his senses, blinding the rest of the world around them. She tasted sweet, like fruit, and she smelled of vanilla and honey. Her hold on his arms burned in a way that made him want more. He was sure her tight grip would leave bruises but he didn't care.

His hands slipped down to her backside, cupping just underneath her ass. With one simple shove, he pulled her into him, forcing her body tighter to his. Their lips parted for a brief moment so Scarlett could take a breath but Pietro wasn't ready to stop. His lips ghosted down her jaw to the pulse on her neck. Her grip on his arms tightened considerably. A soft gasp escaped her lips when he bit right where her pulse was.

"Shit." She cursed, her fingers finding their way to his hair. She tugged on the silvery locks, urging him to stop attacking her neck. He pulled away, a proud smirk on his lips. She held his gaze for a few heartbeats before leaning forward to place her forehead against his chest. "You make me feel things I didn't believe in." Her words were a gentle whisper.

Pietro said nothing. He rested his chin on the top of her head. This was what he wanted. He craved her gentle touch and her soft words. He craved to see _who_ she was and not who she let everyone _think_ she was.


	28. Twenty-Eight

Scarlett gently brushed her fingers through Pietro's disheveled silver hair. He had been sound asleep all night. She envied his ability to sleep so soundly. She couldn't remember the last time she slept through the night. Most of the time, she only managed to catch a few hours before her mind woke her up and kept her from slumber.

She laid on her back in the center of her bed. Pietro was on his stomach with his head resting on her chest. One of his arms wrapped firmly around her torso, holding her as close as possible, while the other arm was tucked underneath her shoulders. Their legs tangled together underneath the blankets. Scarlett liked the way his skin felt against her. It was oddly comforting and peaceful. His body seemed to run at a higher temperature than a normal person's. He was like her personal space heater.

A soft knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. Fearing that whoever it was would wake Pietro up and she'd have to kick their ass, Scarlett carefully slipped out of Pietro's arms. He whined softly at the loss of contact, but Scarlett pressed a kiss to his cheek and brushed his tousled curls out of his face. She went to the door and opened it just a little. It was Bucky.

"Hey, kid. I know it's early but me and Steve were gonna go for a run. You wanna join us?" He asked her, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

"Yeah." She nodded her head with a little smile. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be out."

Scarlett closed the door to her room and leaned against the door for a moment. Her eyes found the man in her bed. She didn't want to leave Pietro, but she was a little unsteady about staying. Maybe spending some time away from Pietro would do her good. She could think without his presence.

———

Pietro lifted his head at the sound of the door opening. Scarlett stepped into her room and closed the door behind herself. She was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a white skintight long sleeve. Her dark hair appeared damp. She just got out of the shower.

"I thought you left." Pietro frowned.

"I went for a run with Barnes and Rogers." Scarlett moved leaned against the door. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, her eyes glued to Pietro.

"What?" He propped himself up on one elbow to look at her.

"I'm just.... just glad you're here." A gentle smile crossed her lips.

"Glad to be here, princessa."

"Get out of my room." Scarlett pushed her door open and held it with her foot. "It's almost ten. You aren't sleeping the whole day."

Pietro let out a groan and threw himself back down on to the bed. He paused for a moment to stare at the ceiling before sighing heavily and standing up. 

"You make me crazy." He pressed a kiss to her forehead then left the room. Scarlett stepped out of her room, letting the door click shut behind her.

Natasha stood just down the hallway, curiously watching what had just happened. She had seen Pietro kiss her daughter on the forehead and leave her room.

"What?" Scarlett stiffened up a little, unsure of what Natasha was thinking.

"I'm happy you're happy." The Widow smiled softly. "Just be sure you two are being safe when it comes to—,"

"Jesus, Nat. I'm twenty-three, not thirteen. I don't need the sex talk." Scarlett cut her off, rubbing her eyes.

"Well I just know you haven't had the best upbringing and I wanted to make sure you knew how to go about that sort of thing. Protection is important and not every young adult realizes it. That's how I had you, you know."

There was a brief pause as Scarlett held her mother's gaze. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and rubbed her arm.

"Well we don't have to worry about me getting pregnant." She moved to walk past Natasha but the redhead stopped her.

"What do you mean, Scarlett?"

Scarlett turns on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest.

"When I turned eighteen, Vince and I tried for a baby. His parents really wanted grandkids and I'm-I'm pretty positive they wanted to be able to turn our kid into me. I was willing then to still try to make our relationship work. But I never could get pregnant. Don't know what's wrong with me but.... but it just never worked."

"You never went to a doctor about it?" Natasha furrowed her brows together.

"Nope. I don't like doctors."

"I'm so sorry, Scarlett." She murmured softly.

"It's fine." The young assassin softly shrugged her shoulders. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. "I wouldn't make a good mom anyways."

Natasha watched Scarlett disappear down the hallway.

———

"Anybody seen Scarlett?" Tony asked as he walked into the living room from the garage. Just behind him was Bruce. "I need help with something."

"With what?" Clint didn't look away from the television as he spoke.

"I have a few tests I want to do."

"On her?" Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Tony, we talked about this—,"

"I just want to see how her strength and overall enhanced abilities differ from Cap's and Sarge's." Tony sat down on the arm of the couch just above Clint's head. Steve put his book down to listen to what the Iron Man had to say. "I've been reading more and more of her file. She had some testing done to her when she was little by a Dr. Blake Adams and Giovanni Warren, and they think she's stronger than both Cap and Barnes." Tony's gaze flickered over to Natasha. "I'm only curious and I think it would be safe for us to know the extent of her abilities."

"She's going to kick your ass for wanting to do tests on her."

"That's why I'll make them fun. She gets to punch things." Tony grinned mischievously. "Kids love me."

"She's twenty-three, Tony." Pepper sighed out.

"I'm thinking about making her a suit." Tony thought out loud, his hand coming up to rub his neck.

"You're stuck on the idea of making her an Avenger." Steve stated in disbelief. "Still don't know if that'd be a good idea."

"Not right now at least." Natasha agreed.

"What if we used her to get dirt on HYDRA?" Tony bit the inside of his cheek after he spoke. He was just thinking out loud now, throwing ideas around and hoping something good would come out of it.

"You want to use a HYDRA spy to spy on HYDRA?" Bucky, who had previously been sleeping on one of the sofas, questioned. His eyes were closed and he laid on his back.

"Yeah. Sounds great, right?" Tony's gaze flickered over to Natasha. "Right?"

"It sounds dangerous." Natasha shifted around on her seat and crossed her knees. "But it could work. I'm sure she knows more about HYDRA than anyone else we know."

Before anyone could say anything else, Scarlett and Pietro were walking into the room.

"There she is!" Tony stood to his feet.

"What do you want?" Scarlett stopped moving into the room. She straightened her shoulders and curled her fingers into fists, prepared for anything.

"Just to discuss something with you."

"How would you feel about going undercover for us in HYDRA?" Natasha moved forward to sit on the edge of her seat. Scarlett shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I only ask because you stand pretty high up in the ranks."

Scarlett looked to Pietro, who was watching her.

"I planned on doing that. Tonight, I was going to meet a few agents in Santa Monica. I can get whatever information I want from them because they fear me."

"Wait, what?" Pietro furrowed his brows together.

"Were you planning on telling us about this?" Steve asked her.

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

"Would you be willing to wear a mic when you go to meet them?"

"You aren't really thinking about letting her go, are you?" Pietro's gaze flickered over to Natasha.

"Why not?" Natasha softly shrugged her shoulders. "I trust her."

"When are you meeting with the agents?" Steve stood to his feet.

"Midnight."

———

Scarlett was dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that snugly clung to her curves. A white low-cut tank top adorned her torso and over top of that was a black leather jacket. Her dark hair was tied back into a neat high ponytail. She tucked her phone into her back pocket. Though it would be in her pocket, Tony ensured her that it would be able to pick up noise through the material. He would be tapping in to the microphone on her phone to listen in on the group meeting. Scarlett checked herself in the mirror one more time to make sure her makeup was nearly perfect. Pietro appeared in the doorway behind her. Her eyes flickered over to look at him through the mirror. He wasn't happy.

"You promise you'll be safe?"

"You don't need to be safe when you're the most dangerous piece on the board." Scarlett turned around to face him. She leaned back against the countertop and crossed her arms. He had been watching her the entire time she got ready with a look of discontent on his face. "Pietro, I know you're not happy with me doing this but I will be okay."

"I'm not worried so much about you going to spy for us as I am about you not telling me you were going to meet agents tonight."

"I don't tell you everything, Pietro." She quietly reminded him.

"But that's gotta change with us, princessa. We need to have that sort of communication for us to work."

Scarlett said nothing. Pietro held his hand out for her. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her into his arms. A soft kiss was pressed to her head.

"Pietro, there are things I'm going to say that you won't like." She spoke softly, her eyes focusing on his arm. She gently rubbed his bicep. "If I break up with Vince now, he'll think something's up."

"Do what you have to, princessa. I understand."

"I just don't want anything I do to hurt your feelings. I know how sensitive you are." She teased softly, a grin tugging at her lips.

"I _am_ sensitive." Pietro kissed her lips. "Be safe."

———

Scarlett entered the small diner. Darkened blue eyes scanned over the patrons before landing on a group of seven in a booth towards the back. She recognized all of the agents present. She didn't like anyone of them. Brody Winters was the first to spot her. He nodded his head towards her, making everyone at the table look in Scarlett's direction.

"Hello, boys." She pulled her ponytail over one shoulder. Her eyes flickered to Agent Claire Bellamy, whom Vince had cheated on Scarlett with. "Agent Bellamy." Claire looked away from Scarlett, her green eyes finding Vince.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Agent Matt Inoki muttered. Scarlett shot him a glare.

"It's good to see you, Scarlett." Vince stood up and slipped his hand around her waist before placing a kiss on her lips. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh good." Scarlett allowed Vince to pull her jacket off and place it on the back of her chair.

"So what've you been up to, Agent Rose?" Bellamy asked her. "Sleeping your way around the Earth's mightiest heroes?"

As Scarlett sat down in her chair beside Vince, she glared sharply at the agent across from her.

"Let's not start a fight so early on in the night, ladies." Agent Inoki suggested. "Especially one you can't win, Claire."

"I think it's about time someone puts Claire in her place." Brody stated matter-of-factly.

"Why don't you go to hell, Winters—,"

"We are here to discuss our role in the downfall of the Heads of HYDRA, not bicker and pick fights." Scarlett snapped, her words more or less directed to Bellamy. "I'm not afraid to gut you like a fish and leave you in an alley if you don't want to play nice with my agents, Agent Bellamy."

Bellamy locked her jaw and firmly crossed her arms.

"What we want to cover tonight is when we want to make the move on the leaders." Vince said. "They are all going to be at their roundtable meeting in a few months. That's our chance to take all of them out at once."

"That meeting is the most heavily guarded meeting of the year." Agent Brett Harker glanced to Scarlett. "You're the only one outside of them who's ever attended a meeting. What happens there?"

"Exactly what you think happens. They discuss plans for the next two years, they drink, and they share stories like old people do. Sometimes they talk about agents."

"All of them have their own security that travels with them. Each one has at least two dozen agents with them." Brody opened a file on the table and slid it across to Scarlett. "I managed to snag a list of the agents providing security. They're some of our tough ones."

"They aren't me." Scarlett smirked a little arrogantly as she looked at the list. Her eyes almost immediately went to Brock Rumlow and Jack Rollins' names. They would be going as a part of Alexander Pierce's party. "Well shit."

"What?" Vince furrowed his brows as he looked from her to the list then back to her.

"Rumlow is going to be there with Pierce."

"Is that a problem for you, Rose?" Inoki asked her. There was a slightly mocking tone to his voice that irritated Scarlett.

"He played a pretty big role in training me. He knows most of my moves. He's an excellent fighter."

"As long as you're fast, he won't see you coming." Brody said. 

"Didn't you two fuck around a while back in London?" Bellamy inquired with a raise of her eyebrows. "I think it was a year ago, right Vince?"

She looked to Vince, whose eyes had focused on Scarlett. That was around the time he started messing with Bellamy.

"Damn, Scarlett. That shit was true?" Inoki put his fist to his mouth. "I thought that was just a bunch of talk. That man is, like, two times your age—,"

"Who I mess with in my time off is none of your damn business, Agent Bellamy." Scarlett spoke through her teeth at the female agent. "I am not someone you want to mess with. Ask Agent Inoki what happened the last time he tried to start a fight with me."

"Damn bitch almost took off my hand." Inoki muttered, rubbing his right hand. Scarlett had cut his wrist so deeply that he needed nearly a hundred stitches. Luckily, she hadn't severed an artery.

"The next time someone talks about something that has nothing to do with what we came here to discuss, I am going to stab you. Don't think that being in public will change that." Scarlett looked around the table. A few of the agents had remained silent. They feared Scarlett and didn't want to say anything that would make her mad. "Good. Let's get to work. We don't have much time and I need to get back before they find out I'm gone."


	29. Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING there is brief talk about age gap consensual sex between two characters in this story, it's not gone into detail but I wanted to warn you about it because some people don't like that. I'll put more in the A/N at the end

Scarlett watched as the agents left the diner, silently going their separate ways. Brody stood up and held his arms out for a hug from Scarlett. She stood to her feet, allowing him to hug her.

"Be safe, babe." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later, Warren." Brody gave him his middle finger.

Vince rolled his eyes at Brody then stood up behind Scarlett, his hand sliding around her waist.

"Come back to my room for the night." He pressed soft kisses to her neck. "Miss you."

"I can't." Scarlett turned in his arms. Her hands against his chest stopped him from leaning in to kiss her. "I'm not in the mood tonight, Vince."

"Well what are you in the mood for?"

"Kicking Bellamy's ass."

"Why can't you just leave her alone, Scarlett?" Vince let her go, his brows furrowing together.

"Because she thinks she can rub your affair with her in my face and make me angry." Scarlett turned to leave the diner.

"Well obviously it's working. You know, I don't think you have the right to still be pissed at that. You _did_ sleep around with Rumlow and he's old enough to be your grandpa." Vince followed Scarlett out of the diner.

"He's only in his forties. And at least he can last longer than ten minutes—,"

Vince grabbed Scarlett's arm and pushed her against the wall. She pulled the pistol from it's place in the back of her pants and held it under his chin. The safety softly clicked as she turned it off.

"Put your Goddamned hands on me again, Vincent Warren, and I will dump your body in the Pacific Ocean." She spoke through clenched teeth to him. His darkened eyes gazed down at her, swarming with anger and maybe a bit of jealousy. "I'm done with your little baby tantrums. You aren't going to put your hands on me anymore when you get mad. I'll cut them off."

"My dad would have you executed for killing me."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Scarlett lowered her gun. She brought her knee up to his groin, causing him to hunch over. Her hand found his shoulder. She pushed him to the ground on his knees, her hand gripping his clavicle just shy of breaking bone. With him on his knees, she pressed the tip of her gun against his head. "I don't want to have to worry about your stupid ass while I'm working the Avengers. Are you going to cause me any problems, _Agent_ Warren?"

"No."

"Good." She stepped back and put her gun down.

As she walked away from him, she put her gun back into the waist band of her pants. She pulled her phone out, making sure the one Stark was using to track and listen in on her conversations was still tucked into the pocket of her jacket. She pulled up Pierce's number and texted him.

**To: A.P.**   
**< "It's not safe to call but I've got information relating to the mutiny rising against you and the other leaders. I'll call when I can. And just a fair warning the next time Vince Warren pisses me off I am going to kill him.">**

The text sent and she felt satisfied with her work. A smirk found its way to her lips.

———

The entire team of Avengers was waiting for Scarlett in the living room. They had been talking about something, but the second she walked in everyone fell silent.

"You know, I'm not a fan of people talking about me behind my back." She commented as she shrugged her jacket off. She pulled Stark's phone from one of her pockets and tossed it to him. "You get it all recorded?"

"Yep. Every word." He nodded his head. "You did good, kid. Lying seems like your thing."

"It is." Scarlett's eyes briefly met Pietro's as she passed him to go down the hallway.

"Scarlett?" Natasha called her name. The assassin stopped on her heels and turned to face Natasha. "Can Barnes and I talk to you?"

Scarlett paused for a moment, her gaze flickering from Natasha to Bucky then back to Natasha.

"Yeah, I guess." Scarlett wanted to say no and just go lock herself in her room, but she figured it had something to do with what she and the other HYDRA agents had discussed. She followed her parents into the kitchen and out on to the balcony.

"We...." Natasha paused for a moment to look to Bucky. He leaned against the balcony railing and rubbed the back of his head. They both agreed that they wanted to take on a more active parental role in Scarlett's life but the ex-Winter Soldier wasn't ready to have this conversation with his adult daughter. "We just want to clear some things up."

"You know I didn't mean anything I said tonight about taking you guys out—,"

"That's not what this is about." Natasha softly shook her head. "We're just.... I'm a little concerned about you and Brock Rumlow."

Scarlett stiffened up. She crossed her arms over her chest and locked her jaw. She didn't like where conversation was going.

"You said he trained you." Bucky finally spoke up. "How long?"

"Since I was seven, maybe." Scarlett muttered with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's really not that important, guys."

"I just.... I want to know if he ever acted inappropriately towards you when you were younger."

Scarlett's eyebrows furrowed together and her nose scrunched up.

"Jesus Christ, Romanoff. You-You think he molested me?"

"I don't know, Scarlett. That's what I want to know. He's not a good guy—,"

"Trust me, I know he isn't." Scarlett turned away from her parents. She couldn't believe they jumped to that conclusion. She brushed her hands over her face and then placed them on her hips. "Everything we ever did was consensual. He's not a pedophile. I was twenty-two and it was a one time thing."

"But he's, like, double your age, Scar." Bucky quietly spoke. Scarlett finally gained the courage to face them. Her stomach churned but she pushed the feeling aside.

"Well that wasn't the first time I've ever been with a man older than me and it certainly wasn't the last." Her voice was a low whisper as she spoke. It was very clear to both of her parents that she was uncomfortable with the topic. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest and her eyes avoided their gazes.

"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, Scarlett." Natasha assured her. "But things like that.... They're a big deal. I understand it might be weird with Barnes here but if you want to talk to me—,"

"I was never molested by anyone. End of discussion." Scarlett spoke through her teeth as she passed both of them to go back into the house.

Natasha let out a soft sigh and looked to Bucky.

"Was that the answer you wanted?" He asked her.

"I think she's being honest with us." Natasha nodded her head. "Next time I see Rumlow, I'm going to kill him."

"Not if I get to him first." Bucky pulled the door to the house open and held it for Natasha.

———

Scarlett was changing clothes when someone knocked on her door.

"Princessa? Do you mind if I come in?"

"It's open." She called over her shoulder. She tugged on a tank top and pulled her hair out of the neck of the shirt.

"Do you want me to stay with you again tonight?" He asked, closing the door softly behind himself.

"As long as you don't try to talk to me about anything that happened tonight." She sat down on the edge of her bed, tucking one foot under herself as she began to braid her hair. "I'm not in the mood."

Pietro nodded his head and moved to sit on the bed behind her.

"Can I, princessa?"

"You can braid hair?" Scarlett looked over her shoulder to him.

"Wanda couldn't braid her own hair until a few years ago. After our parents died, there was no one to help her with her hair." He quietly explained. Scarlett closed her eyes as he began to rake his fingers through her hair. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Maybe an hour." She shrugged her shoulders. "Sleep isn't really one of my skills."

"Sleeping isn't a skill. It's a neccesity."

"Not when you're biologically enhanced." She hummed quietly. Silence fell between them as Pietro's fingers expertly moved through her hair. He was French braiding her hair. "Did you come here hoping to talk about what happened?"

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have too."

"You're being uncharacteristically quiet." Scarlett peaked over her shoulder to him. He gave her a little smile.

"Turn your head back around, princessa. I don't want the braid crooked."

"Natasha and Barnes asked about Rumlow." Scarlett wasn't sure what it was that was bothering Pietro but she didn't like the silence. "They thought he forced himself on me, but he didn't. I've killed men who tried to have their way with me. I would've done the same to him."

"It's okay, princessa. You don't have to explain anything to me." He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "I'm just worried about you."

"Why?"

"You never.... You never talk to anyone about anything. Keeping everything bottled in isn't good."

"I'm still getting used to having someone to talk to, Maximoff." She reminded him. "It's going to take some time before I feel comfortable talking about my feelings and things that I've done to you or anyone else."

"Just know I'm here for you." Pietro finished the braid and tied to bottom of it. He leaned forward and kissed the back of her neck. "Always."

Scarlett leaned back into his chest, her eyes closing as she let him kiss her skin.


	30. Thirty

Scarlett stood in her room with her arms crossed and her eyes out the window. She had been standing motionless for nearly an hour. While dark blue eyes gazed at the sea, her mind was deep in throught. She held her phone in her hand. Her eyes dropped down to look at the text conversation displayed across the screen.

**To: A.P.**   
**< "I think it would be wise for the biannual roundtable meeting to be canceled but an emergency meeting should be called. There's a lot to discuss and I feel that everyone should hear it before I decide on how to stop Vince and his rogue allies.">**

**From: A.P.**   
**< "You want to be the one to call that emergency meeting? The last time we had one was when Peggy Carter died.">**

**To: A.P.**   
**< "I am willing to make that call.">**

**From: A.P.**   
**< "I'll reach out to the Gideon Malick and General Hale. They'll be able to get ahold of the others. I'll set it up for a week from now. This means you need to be there and be presentable and prepared.">**

**To: A.P.**   
**< "I will be there, sir.">**

With a soft sigh, Scarlett tucked her phone into her pocket.

As Natasha was passing Scarlett's room, she saw that the door was open. This was odd for Scarlett. The door was usually kept shut. Natasha stepped into the doorway and knocked quietly.

"You okay in here, Scarlett?"

The young woman turned to face Natasha. She was silent for a while before finally speaking.

"I think I need to leave for a couple weeks."

"Why?" Natasha furrowed her brows together.

"I need to go back to HYDRA. They're expecting me to debrief them on my time spent with you."

Natasha paused for a moment, trying to figure out Scarlett's angle.

"I won't be telling them anything useful or honest. I'll make something up." Scarlett moved to sit on the edge of her bed. "But I want to keep my position within them to bring them down."

"I just want to make sure you aren't going to be doing anything too dangerous."

"I'm Scarlett Rose, daughter of the Black Widow and Winter Soldier. I doubt there's anything more dangerous than me."

"Your arrogance." Natasha said quietly. "That is dangerous."

"I'm not arrogant. I know what I'm capable of."

"So you want to go undercover in HYDRA as an Avenger? As one of us?"

Scarlett nodded her head. Natasha wasn't sure what to think. She wanted to believe her daughter was better and wanted to be better, but she also knew very well that Scarlett was a good liar.

"When do you leave?"

"As soon as possible. I need to be in Cleveland tonight."

———

Scarlett was busy going through her clothes, trying to decide what she wanted to take and what she wanted to leave. A sudden gust of wind blew her hair into her face.

"Why is everyone telling me you're leaving again?" Pietro asked.

"Because I have a job to do." She answered without facing him.

"You didn't think to talk to me about it?"

"I didn't think it was any of your concern." She folded a pair of jeans and put them into her duffle bag.

"Are you joking? Scarlett, that's sort of something you discuss with someone when you're dating."

"I wasn't aware we were dating." Scarlett turned to face him. His broad shoulders slumped as he furrowed his brows together.

"What the hell have we been doing for the last week, Scarlett?"

"Pietro, any relationship—platonic or romantic—I've ever had never worked." Scarlett returned to packing her clothes. This needed to happen. She was getting way to close to him.

"That's because you've only dated assholes, Scarlett. I think there's a chance with us."

"I have to focus on this, Maximoff. My work is important to me. It's all I have. If I have you on my mind then my judgment may be clouded or I might do something stupid."

Pietro was silent. Scarlett let out a heavy sigh, stuffing a hoodie into her bag rather aggressively.

"You're a sweet guy, Pietro, and I really wish I could stay. But I have to make sure Pierce trusts me so that I can do what I need to for this team."

"So you've accepted Stark's offer on joining the team?"

"No one ever asked me to join." Scarlett shook her head. "I'm just doing what I can to stop HYDRA. I'm sick of it all."

Hands found her hips and pulled her back into his body.

"Be safe." His hot breath fanned over her ear.

"I will." She turned in his arms and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Will you let me know you're safe?"

"I can't risk reaching out to you and someone finding out." Scarlett shook her head. "But I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

There was a frown etched on to his lips. His blue eyes searched hers for a few moments before he let out a gentle sigh.

"Don't do anything too dangerous."

"You're adorable." Scarlett pressed her lips to his before moving out of his arms.

———

_ One Week Later _

"You shittin' your pants, Scarface?"

Scarlett looked down the hallway to see Brock Rumlow approaching her. She stood just outside of the conference room the Heads of HYDRA were inside.

"What are you doing here, Rumlow?"

"Pierce's orders." He leaned against the wall just across from her. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Look at you. Dressed all nice and fancy to go in front of them."

Scarlett wore a pair of fitting black dress pants, a white turtle neck, and a black blazer. A pair of uncomfortable white heels adorned her feet. Her dark hair had been straightened and left down. Though she didn't like wearing her hair down and definitely didn't like wearing heels, she knew she needed to look professional for the meeting. Her position within HYDRA depended on what these people thought of her.

"You know what you're doing?" Rumlow asked her.

"Debriefing them on a rising internal threat." She answered confidently. "I've done a debriefing before. I'm not worried about it."

"This is different. They're going to be looking for a reason to put you six feet under. Your little stunt a while back with going through a file you were suppose to retrieve. That's a big no-no, Scarface, and you know that."

"I didn't go through it. The Avengers did and they are the ones who told me."

"Doesn't matter to the big bosses in there."

The door opened and one of the assistants stepped out.

"Agent Rose, they will be seeing you. Agent Rumlow, Secretary Pierce would like you to join him."

Scarlett led the way into the room. The empty seat at the head of the large conference table was for her.

"Welcome, Agent Rose." The Baroness greeted her.

"Thank you, ma'am." Scarlett firmly nodded her head. Once the files had been passed out, she returned to the head of the table. "I'm not going to waste your time. I know how difficult it was for all of you to be here, but I assure you the reason I have called this meeting is urgent."

"Why did _she_ call the meeting, Alex?" The Sheikh looked across the table to Pierce. "If I recall correctly, only those of us sitting at the table were allowed to do so."

"She is the one who brought this to my attention. Continue, Agent Rose."

"If you all would open the files I gave you." Scarlett opened her own copy of the file. "That is a list of every agent who wants to assisnate you six. Leading the assassination is Agent Vince Warren."

"Warren?" The Banker repeated. "Giovanni's son?"

"His youngest, yes." Scarlett nodded her head once. "He came to me three months ago to tell me that he was planning a mutiny against you. He and dozens others are planning on killing you in two months at the biennial roundtable meeting. This is why I wanted to speak to you all sooner. I want to prevent that from happening. Without you six, HYDRA would fall."

"Aren't you engaged to Vincent, Scarlett?" The Baroness raised her eyebrows. "Why would you turn against him?"

"My loyalty is with HYDRA first. If he gets in that way, then he must be eliminated."

"Your loyalty to HYDRA has faltered, Agent Rose." Octavian Bloom stated. "The moment you decided to let the Avengers capture you and you learned of your birthparents, you lost your place within HYDRA."

Scarlett held the man's gaze for a few heartbeats. She leaned against the edge of the table with her palms flat against the marble.

"To be frank with you, sir, I don't give a damn about who my parents are. HYDRA raised me and made me who I am. I owe my life to HYDRA and Secretary Pierce. Learning of my parents did not change the fact that I'd die or kill for HYDRA."

"I have plans to make Agent Rose my successor." Pierce's words shocked the entire room into silence. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms propped on the arms of the chair.

"You can't be serious, Alex." The Baroness' eyes widened.

"We've had this conversation before, Alex." Gideon Malick sighed heavily. "And we agreed that she was not able to take your position due to her background."

"Her background is deeply rooted within this organization, Gideon. She has done more for HYDRA than anyone else in this room. She's been more loyal to me than any other agent I've ever come across in all my years. All of you witnessed the power she has. By the time she was eight, she was three levels above her peers. In a group of sixteen to eighteen year olds, Scarlett—a twelve-year-old– was the only one to survive the Winter Soldier's training."

Pierce's words brought a sense of pride and almost joy to Scarlett. She had desperately been waiting for him to say this, to say she deserved this.

When no one spoke, Pierce did.

"Scarlett is currently working two complex assignments for me." He tapped his pen against the arm of his chair. "Not only has she been working to gather enough information to dismantle Vince Warren and his rogue allies, but she has also been working as a mole within the Avengers. She's gained their trust. Within a few months, she'll be able to give us valuable information on them. We won't have to lose a facility every week because of them. Perhaps, she may even be able to help us get rid of them. Does anyone have an objections?"

There was silence.

"I think she'd make a great leader." Daniel Whitehall, who had been silently observing the situation from the back of the room spoke. He was easily one of the most feared leaders of HYDRA. "Please continue, Agent Rose."

———

Scarlett stood in one of the conference rooms inside the facility, going over a few things with a group of agents. Something moving in the doorway caught her attention. She lifted her head to see Vince Warren standing in the doorway.

"We're done for today." Scarlett announced. As the agents left the room, she shuffled the papers together. "What can I do for you, Agent Warren?"

"Don't call me that." He shook his head as he closed the door. "We've been through too much to end like this, Scarlett baby. I'm not ready to lose you just because Claire's trying to come between us."

"It's not her, Vince. It's you thinking it's okay to put your hands on me. I've killed men for doing less. You're lucky to be alive."

"I just.... I feel like things have been tense for us since you didn't show at the wedding. But I'm okay with that, Scarlett. We don't have to get married, baby. I just want you." Vince moved around the room. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into him. Scarlett kept her gaze straight ahead, fighting the urge to stab him. "I love you, Scarlett. Only you."

She needed him. If he lost his trust in her, she wouldn't be able to know what he was planning when it came to taking down the Heads of HYDRA. He was useful to her.

"I'm busy, Vince." She quietly spoke, pushing his arms off of her. "But we can talk tonight over dinner."

"Sounds good to me, babe." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll text you later on, okay?"

She nodded her head and watched him leave. Her stomach twisted into knots, but she wasn't sure why. She didn't know what was bothering her nerves but it was annoying.

———

Scarlett bit her bottom lip as she waited for Pietro to pick up. She sat alone in a fine Italian restaraunt, waiting for Vince to arrive. Absentmindedly, she smoothed out her dress.

_"Hello?"_

"Pietro." A soft smile made itself known across her lips.

_"Princessa. I thought you said you weren't going to call me."_

"There's just a lot on my mind.... and hearing your voice calms me down."

_"Is everything okay?"_

"I'm slowly realizing what I want from life, and this isn't it."

_"Then you do what you want to, princessa."_

"It's not always that easy, sweetheart." Scarlett rubbed her temple. "Can you just talk to me? I want to hear your voice."


	31. Thirty-Two

_ The Next Day _

Scarlett's bare feet padded silently through the house. It was early in the morning and the house was silent. After a long night in L.A., everyone was getting the sleep they desperately needed. Dressed in a pair of short spandex shorts and a gray hoodie that Scarlett was sure belonged to Pietro, she ventured around the house in an attempt to find him. She found the Quicksilver sitting out on the balcony in a chair. His feet were propped up on the railing and there was something in his lap. He was reading.

Scarlett pushed the door to the balcony open and stepped out. Pietro lifted his head up. A soft smile crossed his lips. He put his feet down on the ground and placed whatever he had been reading on to the tabletop.

"I thought you were sleeping, princessa."

"I've been waiting for you for the last hour." She softly shook her head and sat down next to him. Her eyes flickered to the file he had been looking through. It was labeled Project Recluse. Her eyebrows drew together as she reread the name of the file. "Why do you have that?"

"I-I just wanted to know a few things. And I knew you wouldn't answer everything."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" She leaned back in her seat.

"I don't know, to be honest." He let out a soft sigh. "I just wanted to know more about you. Have you read all of this?"

"I glanced through it a while back when you guys first apprehended me.... but I never really wanted to read it."

"Come here." Pietro's voice was soft and gentle as he patted his thigh. Scarlett stood from her seat and moved over to him. His hand found her hips and guided her down on to his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.

"Do you have any questions?" She turned her head to the side to rest her cheek against his shoulder. "I'll answer them honestly."

"You don't have to do that, princessa."

"I want you to know the kind of person I am." Scarlett closed her eyes. Pietro's arm tightened around her waist. His opposite hand was on her thigh, rubbing gentle circles into her soft skin with his thumb. There was a brief moment of silence before he pressed a kiss to her head.

"When do you remember starting your training?"

"I can't remember a time when I wasn't training."

"When did you kill someone for the first time?"

Scarlett took a deep breath, opening her eyes so she could look out at the ocean. She placed her hand down on top of his that rested on her thigh.

"I was eight, I think. Eight or nine. It was one of the girls I was training with. I.... I choked her."

"Do you remember the trials they performed on you?"

"They were to monitor a tumor I had. It was in my chest on my left lung. I needed to be as healthy as possible to carry out the intensive training. Even with my genetic enhancements, the tumor was killing me. I was only maybe six. Pierce wasn't ready to let me die. My blood was far too valuable. That's when I met Vince. His father was a geneticist but he started out as a physician." Scarlett brushed her fingertips over the back of his hand. "Giovanni saved my life on more than one occasion."

"Were you ever like this with Vince? Close to him? Gentle with him?"

"No." Scarlett almost laughed. "Never. I never felt this.... comfortable with him."

"Good." He muttered under his breath. "I've been looking all over for this. Where did you find if?" His hand left her thigh to tug on one of the strings on the hoodie she was wearing.

"In my room. I think you left it there a while ago." Scarlett looked down at the hoodie. "I like it. It smells like you."

Pietro watched her mess with the hoodie a little bit before her eyes flickered over to the file. Curiously, she picked it up and placed it in her lap. It had tabs for the different sections in the file. There was a section for medical and genetics, abilities and training, and mission reports and aliases.

"Did you read any of the mission reports?"

"A few." Pietro rubbed the side of her thigh. "But it got a little too graphic for me."

"I'm sorry." She quietly apologized. The words would never be able to fix the horrors she had committed, and they both knew that. But she was showing remorse and regret for her actions. This was good.

"You didn't have a choice, Scarlett. They made you do—,"

"They didn't make me do all of it." She cut him off with a little shake of her head. She was glad her back was to him. She was too ashamed to face him right now. "I.... I willingly did some of it. The violence.... It's all I've known my whole life."

"But that doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"You can't look me in the eyes after reading this and tell me that, Pietro." Scarlett stood up and moved away from him. "After everything you've seen in that folder– I don't understand how you still want to touch me! I don't understand why you think that there's still hope for me!" She put her hands against her chest, gesturing to herself.

Pietro stood to his feet, holding her gaze for a few silent heartbeats.

"I was in a really bad place just a couple years ago. When I was with HYDRA, I was full of anger and hate and I wanted revenge. I lost my parents and I felt that they had received no justice. When my sister and I joined HYDRA, I decided that I was going to get the justice my parents deserved. I was willing to do whatever it took to get back at Stark. I almost helped a robot destroy the world." Pietro was calm as he spoke. He crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't like talking about his feelings then, but it would help Scarlett.

"You're nothing like me, Pietro." Scarlett shook her head. "Don't try to compare you wanting to avenge your parents' death to me killing people who have personally done me no wrong."

"I don't know how to make you see what I see, Scarlett. I know you've done bad things and I know you've had a rough life, but I want to help you."

"You and everyone else in this damn place need to get it out of your heads that I need your help!" Scarlett pulled the door to the mansion open and slammed it shut behind herself. The glass shattered into a billion pieces but she didn't pay any attention to the dangerous little shards that littered the floor around her. She stomped across the floor, ignoring the burning pain that erupted in her feet.

Pietro watched her stomp away, leaving a trail of bloody footprints. She was deliberating allowing herself to get hurt. To avoid the glass mess she had made, he ran around the house and came in through the front door. Before she could get all the way across the living room to go to her room, he had picked her up and taken her to the bathroom. The intense speed at which he moved caused Scarlett to lose her breath for a moment. She didn't have the ability to yell at him. 

He placed her on the countertop in the bathroom. Blood dripped from her feet to the white linoleum floor. Scarlett's fingertips gripped the edge of the marble counter. In a flash, Pietro had a dry white wash cloth. He kneeled down so he was at the proper height to stop the bleeding.

"I'll be fine." She muttered through gritted teeth. "It'll stop bleeding on its own."

"Doesn't mean I want to watch you bleed."

"I'm sorry for yelling." Scarlett softly apologized. Pietro glanced up at her through his dark lashes. "I just.... I get frustrated knowing you know how terrible of a person I am but you—,"

Pietro cut her off with a kiss. The now bloody washcloth was discarded on the floor. His hands held either sides of her face. He broke the kiss after a few heartbeats but his hands remained on her.

"You have the potential to be good."

"Scarlett!" Tony shouted her name from the kitchen. With a groan, Scarlett slipped down from the countertop. Just as she had expected, the bleeding stopped. Now her feet were just sore but she could ignore the pain.

"What are you yelling for, Stark?"

"What did you do to my door?" He gestured to the shattered door.

"How do you know if that was me?"

"Sarge, Thor, and Cap are still sleeping and you're the only other one here with the strength to break polycarbonate bullet proof glass. It was designed to withstand assault weapons." Tony crossed his arms over his chest.

"Too bad it wasn't made to withstand an angry Scarlett Rose." Pietro sighed as he moved to get a broom to clean up the mess. As Scarlett started to help him, her phone vibrated in the pocket of her hoodie. Without missing a beat, she pulled it out and answered the call.

"Vince. What did you find out?"

Tony furrowed his brows together and looked to Pietro.

"Who gave her the phone?" He pointed at her. Pietro shrugged his shoulders.

"No, Vince. I don't know why Bakshi said that but you know he's just a little nosey bastard.... Tell him if he thinks blackmailing me is going to get him what he wants, he's wrong. I threw the last person who tried to blackmail me off of the Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait.... I don't care if he is Whitehall's dog, I'm not afraid of him.... If you're too scared of Whitehall to tell that to Bakshi, give me his number so I can reach out to him.... No, Vince. That's not happening." Scarlett ended the call.

"You and your asshole boyfriend still going strong?" Tony asked as he moved into the kitchen to start making coffee.

"No. He knows I'm not afraid to kill him." Scarlett was about to put her phone into her pocket when it vibrated again. "Good morning, Mr. Pierce, sir. No, sir. I haven't had time to do that yet." She put a hand on her hip as she moved into the living room. "I haven't left my hotel room yet, sir. I've been going over our problem with Vince Warren—No, I understand, sir.... Right.... I've heard from a few of them that they're going to DC within the next couple days to a new facility so that means they're probably going to start causing us trouble again.... Yes, sir. I will."

The call ended and Scarlett tucked her phone into her hoodie. She turned around to see not only Tony and Pietro, but Natasha, Bucky, and Sam watching her as well.

"That was Pierce." She let out a sigh as she sat down on a chair in the living room. "He doesn't like that I haven't been reporting back to him with any useful information on you guys, so I gave him a little something."

"What you gave him was false information." Natasha said. "We don't have a facility in DC."

"I know." Scarlett tapped her nails against the arm of the chair. "I told you, I have no wish to be with them anymore. I'm only keeping the lie up that I am loyal to them so that I know what they're planning."

"I don't know if I like that's she lying for us or not." Sam looked from Natasha to Bucky.

"Who's that Whitehall guy you mentioned earlier?" Tony asked her.

"Daniel Whitehall. He's been a leader within HYDRA since Red Skull. Peggy Carter captured him but Alexander Pierce released him just two years ago. Though every leader technically has equal power, he's up there right under Pierce."

"And he's blackmailing you?" Natasha moved to sit down on the sofa.

"His right-hand, Sunil Bakshi, is. He somehow got pictures of me and Pietro and.... and he thinks he can use him against me."

"Thinks?" Steve repeated as he entered the room. He had heard the entire conversation from down the hallway.

"I'm going to kill him for it. No one has ever successfully blackmailed me and he's not about to be the first."

"If your bosses get ahold of those pictures, it could put Maximoff in danger." Sam pointed out. 

"Sammy's right, Scar." Tony poured himself a cup of coffee. "They'll think you've grown something for him. They like to use people like that."

"I'll be the first to admit that I have grown attached to him." Scarlett made sure to avoid Pietro's gaze. She didn't want to confront her feelings about him one on one. "But I'll die before I let anything happen to any of you simply because of me."

"That's not gonna happen, kid." Bucky shook his head.

———

Scarlett had been avoiding Pietro all morning. He knew this and didn't like that she was so good at it. Everyone was busy packing up their things to head back to New York. Their vacation was fun and much deserved, but they had to get back to work. The world needed them.

Pietro finally found Scarlett in her room. The door was cracked open so he took it as an invitation. He pushed the door open the rest of the way and leaned against the door frame. Almost instantly, Scarlett knew he was there. She could sense someone watching her, but she ignored him and continued on with packing.

"Princessa, did I do something to make you mad?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You've been avoiding me and you aren't looking at me."

"I know you're going to ask about Vince, but I don't want to talk about him."

"If you're still seeing him—,"

"I'm sorry, okay?" She turned around to face him. "I can't cut off what I have with him until the time is right. I don't feel anything towards him anymore."

"But you feel something towards me." The Avenger's words were a statement, not a question. "You said so earlier."

"I know what I said." She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Pietro held her gaze for a few silent heartbeats.

"Have you kissed him?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm busy right now, Pietro. I don't have time to deal with your little crush on me."

"Ouch, princessa." He mockingly put his hand over his heart. There was a teasing grin on his lips as he watched her return to packing. "You're starting to hurt my feelings."

"Good." She grumbled, briefly glancing up at him through her lashes. "Maybe then you'll leave me alone." A soft breeze flew through the room. His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her back into him.

"You're so grumpy today." He whispered into her ear. He placed a kiss where her jaw and neck met. "You should've slept more."

"You should've stayed with me." Scarlett reached back to tangle her fingers in his silver hair. "I don't like to sleep unless you're with me. So my grumpiness is your fault."

"I'm sorry." He chuckled quietly. His lips kissed her neck softly, knowing just how much she loved it.

A knock on the door ended their moment. Bucky stood in the doorway of the room. Pietro let Scarlett go and stepped away from her.

"We're, uh, starting to pack the cars. You almost ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."


	32. Thirty-Three

"Pietro, I already asked you to stop so now I'm telling you." Scarlett glared across the room at the grinning man. "Quit making that noise."

He had been helping Scarlett settle into her room but quickly became bored after she got after him for messing in her things. Do to his boredom, he had started to click his tongue, whistle, and basically make any sort of noise he could to occupy himself.

"Then pay attention to me, princessa." He threw himself down on her bed, knocking over a neatly folded pile of clothes. Scarlett was about to get after him for it when her phone buzzed on the stand by her bed.

"Yeah?" She answered the call, tucking it between her ear and shoulder so that she could continue folding her clothes.

 _"Scarlett, it's me."_ Vince said. _"Hey, I wasn't sure if anyone had gotten ahold of you about Brody Winters."_

"What about him?" Scarlett dropped the article of clothing in her hand and picked her phone up. 

_"He was found dead in his hotel room in Brooklyn."_

Scarlett sat down on the edge of her bed, her hand gripping her knee tightly.

"What happened?" She kept her voice level, unwilling to allow Vince to hear her emotional.

_"We don't know a lot yet, but it looks like a self-inflicted G.S.W. to the head."_

She pulled the phone away from her face for a moment. She took a steady deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat.

_"Do you know what he was doing in New York, Scarlett?"_

"No." She answered truthfully with a little shake of her head. "Last I knew, he was in Mexico at the Bunker. Um, listen, Vince. I've got a lot of things going on here. I'll talk to you later."

Without giving him a chance to say good-bye, Scarlett hung up on him. Her hands curled into tight fists as her eyes stared blankly at the alarm clock on the stand by her bed. There were way too many emotions flowing through her and she didn't know how to process them all. The phone in her hand cracked and shattered under her grip. With a frustrated growl, she threw the now broken phone into the wall, busting the drywall.

"What's wrong, princessa?"

Scarlett stood to her feet and turned to yell at Pietro, but she stopped herself at the last minute. He hadn't done anything to make her feel the storm brewing inside. He didn't deserve the effects of the storm.

"Nothing." She gritted through her teeth. "I need to leave."

"What? Why? Where-Where are you going to go?" Pietro furrowed his brows together. Scarlett grabbed her jacket off of her bed and moved towards the door. Pietro was suddenly standing in front of her, blocking her path.

"Maximoff, I don't want to hurt you." She spoke through her teeth as she looked up at him. "Move."

"Tell me what's wrong, princessa."

"I will later, but I need to leave before I hurt you or anyone else in this Tower."

He looked down at her, worried and confused. Her eyes were glossy but she refuses to meet his gaze. He stepped aside, thinking maybe she'd decide to stay if he gave her the option to leave. But she pulled the door open and left.

———

Scarlett came to a stop just outside of the morgue in a hospital in downtown Brooklyn. Her boots seemed frozen to the ground as she peered through the window on the door. Inside were two men talking to each other off to the side of the room. Laying on a metal slab towards the back corner of the morgue was Brody Winters.

"I know how close you were to Agent Winters." Pierce spoke from behind her. Scarlett straightened her posture and forced the tears back. She didn't need him on her ass about her emotions.

"Did you do this?" She quietly asked him. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Rumlow lingering just down the hall. He had been playing guard dog to Pierce ever since Scarlett told Pierce about his planned assassination. 

"No." He answered her. Scarlett knew Pierce didn't like Brody Winters. He was soft and bendable. He had morals. Pierce didn't want that to taint Scarlett.

Scarlett pushed the door to the morgue open. The doctors began to object, telling her she couldn't be in the room. Rumlow took out both doctors with a pistol that had a suppressor on it. Scarlett crossed the room, stepping over the bodies of the dying doctors, before she reached Brody.

She furrowed her eyebrows together. There was no gunshot wound to his head. He was covered in bruises and blood. She pulled back the sheet just a little bit to see that there were deeply carved cuts in his chest. They weren't fatally done, so whoever had inflicted this upon Brody didn't want him to die quickly.

"Is something wrong, Agent Rose?" Pierce asked her.

"Vince.... Vince is the one who told me about this. He said Agent Winters shot himself."

Vince's lie had been easy to believe. Brody had depression and used to have suicidal thoughts. He'd been doing good though. As far as Scarlett knew, he had been seeing a doctor and getting help for the illness.

"Sure doesn't look like it." Rumlow commented. He stood a few feet away at a counter, looking over the items found on Brody's body by the police and medical examiner. Using his gloved hand, Rumlow picked up a small folded piece of paper. "Hey, Scarface? You read Arabic, don't you?"

Scarlett pulled the sheet up over Brody's head then moved over to Rumlow.

"That's not Arabic, dumbass. It's Persian." She took the paper from him and began to read it. Her jaw locked tightly. Pierce could see a shift in her attitude from one of grief to one of anger.

"What is it, Scarlett?" Pierce questioned.

"Winters came to me a while ago saying Vince planned on killing me as soon as I took you and the other leaders out. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it with the shitty agents he rounded up so he was using me to do it. Once I did the dirty work, he planned on having me killed. Winters has been.... He'd been basically spying on Vince for me."

"You think Vince killed him?" Pierce nodded to Brody. Scarlett stiffly nodded her head. "What do you plan on doing?"

"With all do respect to Giovanni Warren, sir, I'm going to put an end to his son. In my opinion, he never belonged with us."

"The decision is yours, Agent Rose." Pierce turned to leave but stopped. "Just know that whatever you do, the consequences will be yours to deal with."

"Yes, sir."

"You want my opinion, Scarface?" Rumlow moved to stand next to her, looking down at the paper she still held in her hands. "That kid deserves a knife to the gut."

"He's going to get a lot more than that from me." Scarlett turned and stormed out of the room.

———

The Avengers sat around the penthouse level of the Tower, enjoying a late dinner of pizza and soda while they argued over what to watch.

"Why can't we just watch Raiders of the Lost Ark?" Peter whined as he climbed over the back of the sofa to settle between Thor and Bruce.

"We are not watching another Indiana Jones movie, Parker." Clint pointed at him. "Everyone likes Die Hard—,"

"Nobody likes Die Hard, Barton!" Bruce threw his hands into the air. "I say we just do Star Trek again, Tony."

"We are not watching Star Trek for the seventh time this week, Bruce." Tony shook his head.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and out stepped Scarlett. A handful of the Avengers, including Natasha, Bucky, and Pietro, stood to their feet.

"Where have you been all day, Scarlett?" Natasha asked her.

"Out. I just.... just wanted to let you guys know I was back."

"Are you okay, Scar?" Peter asked softly. She held his gaze for a few moments but said nothing. Silently, she turned and went into the elevator. Just before the doors could close, Pietro was standing in the elevator with her. Something was clearly wrong but he didn't want to push the subject and make her mad again.

Silence filled the elevator for a while. Pietro watched as the numbers decreased, taking them down to the floor their rooms were on.

"Are you tired, princessa?" He glanced over to her.

"Yes." Her answer was flat.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

She nodded her head in reply. He took a step towards her and held his hand out. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her into his arms.

———

Scarlett sat down on the edge of her bed. Pietro sat in front of her, facing her so he could study her face.

"I lost someone." Her voice was quiet and soft. Her eyes were focused on the gray comforter that covered her bed.

"I'm sorry, princessa." Pietro reached out to take her hand.

"He was trained with me. He's the only.... the only one who I didn't kill. But that's because he was pulled out before I got a chance to."

Pietro could hear the pain in her voice and the way her eyes seemed to shimmer. She was on the verge of tears.

"It's okay to cry, princessa." He gently reminded her.

"I'm not going to cry." Scarlett stubbornly shook her head. "I won't give Vince that kind of power. If he knows I've cried over Brody's death, he'll feel like he's accomplished something."

"What happened?"

"His name was Brody Winters." She paused for a moment to bite her bottom lip. "He was a couple years older than me but with my enhancements I was able to train in his class. He's the only one who survived me, Pietro. I hurt him and I nearly killed him on more than one occasion, but he survived and-and he never held it against me. We were.... He was the closest thing I had to a friend in HYDRA. And I'm the reason he's dead."

"That's not true, princessa. Don't say that."

"He was spying on Vince for me." Scarlett pulled her hand out of his so she could cross her arms. One of her hands rubbed her bicep. "Vince is making plans of killing me. Brody was the one who told me and I-I had him spy on Vince. Vince is the one who killed him."

"I'm so sorry, princessa." Pietro said. She pulled out the piece of paper Brody had had on him.

"He knew Vince was coming. He knew he was going to die, so he wrote this for me." Scarlett turned it around to show him.

"What is it?" Pietro furrowed his brows together.

"He wrote down everything he saw, everything he heard Vince say. Vince had plans of poisoning me. Brody knew Vince knew about him." Scarlett's eyes flickered over the note.

"What are you going to do?" Pietro's eyes found Scarlett's face. She folded the paper back up and put it into her pocket.

"I'm going to kill Vince." She stood to her feet and went over to the large window.

"Scarlett, you don't have to kill him." He softly shook his head.

"There's no other option for him, Pietro. I'm not going to let him get away with it. If I don't kill him, he'll kill others and he'll try to kill me."

"But killing him means you're no better than he is, Scarlett." He quietly reminded her. He was almost afraid of her reaction to what he had said. Her dark blue eyes flickered up to look at him. She said nothing for a few moments.

"I know I'm not better than him, Pietro." She whispered. "I don't expect you to understand."


	33. Thirty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING things get a little graphic and gory just for anyone who is squimish

Vince slipped into the hotel room that belonged to Claire Bellamy. The lights were off but there were a few candles burning around the room. Soft music played. Vince closed the door to the room behind himself.

"I think you out did yourself this time, babe." He felt around on the wall for a light. He found it and turned it on.

Claire Bellamy was laying across the large king sized bed on her stomach in a pair of red lacy underwear and a bra. Her throat had been slit. She was in a pool of her own blood.

"Hello, Vince." Scarlett spoke from a chair next to the bed. Her knees were crossed and she was leaning back casually in the chair. Her foot on top was bouncing up and down gently. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, chunky heeled combat boots, a black v-neck long sleeve, a gray zip up, and a burgundy leather jacket. Her dark hair was left down, which was extremely unlike her. Her nails tapped rhythmically against the wooden arm of the chair.

"Scarlett, what the hell did you do?" Vince's heart dropped to his stomach at the sight before him.

"Something I should've done when I first caught you sleeping with her." Scarlett pushed herself to her feet. Vince saw the knife she was holding in her left hand. He reached back for the door knob.

"Baby, I swear I didn't come here to do what it looked like." He held his other hand up to her like she was a wild animal and he was being cornered. "She was planning on having you killed, Scarlett."

"You think she has the resources to kill me?" Scarlett stopped in the center of the room. She had seen him put his hand on the door handle. He was ready to run. They both knew she was faster. She stabbed the knife into the end of the mattress and crossed her arms. "You think you can make me look like a fucking idiot when you go around messing with her? Everyone has been talking about you two.

"Scarlett, I—,"

"Shut up." She cut him off. She took a few steps towards him until they stood toe to toe. Her darkened eyes searched his fearful ones. "Did you think you could plot my murder without me knowing about it, Vincent?"

His jaw locked and his features hardened.

"I'm not even pissed about that anymore." Scarlett took a knife from her hip and lodged it into his side in the blink of an eye. "You killed Brody Winters."

Vince cried out in pain and hunched over. Scarlett twisted the blade inside his abdomen. He collapsed to his knees.

"I-I had no choice, Scar-Scarlett. Pierce—,"

"I don't want to hear it." She spoke through her teeth to him. She had expected him to put up a fight. This was too easy. Her fingers fisted the material to his black long sleeve and pulled him across the room. Scarlett pushed him into the coffee table near the sofa in the little lounging part of the hotel room. He landed on his back, the table shattering under his weight. His eyes were stuck to the ceiling as he tried to regulate his breathing.

The door to the hotel room burst open, causing Scarlett to draw the gun hidden inside of her leather jacket. She held it up to the intruder, intending on taking them out immediately. It was Natasha Romanoff and Bucky Barnes. Scarlett didn't lower her weapon upon realizing it was them.

"Why did you follow me?"

"Maximoff said you were doing something stupid." Bucky's eyes briefly flickered to the body on the bed. "We don't want you slipping up and doing something that'll get you caught."

"I don't slip up." Scarlett glanced over her shoulder to see Vince was trying to get to his feet. She raked her fingers through her hair and put her gun down. She pushed away the emotions that threatened to make this difficult for her. She put her gun down on the edge of the bed and picked up the knife she had lodged into the mattress.

"Scarlett—,"

"You aren't going to talk me out of this." She cut Natasha off. She used her foot to kick Vince over on to his side.

"Scarlett, baby. I-I was given-I was given orders by Pierce." He panted out, his hands clutching the wound on his side. "How much do you know?"

"Pretend I know everything." Scarlett put her foot over his hands and pressed down on his deep stab wound. He cried out at the pain but she didn't let up.

"Scarlett, someone's going to hear him." Bucky told her. The dark haired woman shot the Winter Solider a sharp glare before taking her foot off of Vince.

"He-He wanted me to give-give-give you some kind of poison. He said it would only slow you down." Vince stopped for a moment, his eyes squeezing shut as he sucked in short, choppy breaths through clenched teeth. "Put you in a coma. He-He wants to get you to the facility in Moscow. Wipe your memory."

Scarlett locked her jaw, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Vince's booted foot suddenly made contact with her inner thigh and then again with her lower stomach. He was on his feet in a matter of seconds, throwing a punch for Scarlett's face. She caught his wrist and pulled him into her arms so that his back was to her chest. Her right arm wrapped securely around his neck while her opposite hand came up to the back of his head.

Her lips were pressed together in a thin line. Though her heart was racing in her chest, she appeared calm on the outside. Her eyes stared blankly down at the shattered coffee table Vince had just gotten himself off of.

"I-I love you, Scarlett."

"That was your mistake." She whispered to him. A sickening crack seemed to echo through the room. She let his limp body fall to the floor and took a step back so he wouldn't fall on her. She gazed down at him, feeling some sort of aching, burning sensation rise in her stomach. She had killed him, the man she had been with for ten years.

"Scarlett." Natasha murmured her name. "We need to go."

Scarlett wanted to object, saying she didn't have a home or that she didn't deserve the safety of the Tower. But a wave of exhaustion seemed to wash over her at the sight of Vince Warren on the floor. It wasn't a physical exhaustion. It was a mental and emotional one, one that she wasn't used to.

She picked up her gun and knife and swiftly left the hotel room.

———

As soon as the doors to the elevator were parted just enough, Scarlett slipped out and briskly moved across the room towards the door to her room. Pietro had been waiting and waiting for her to get back. When he heard the elevator ding, he was on his feet.

Natasha and Bucky moved out of the elevator and the doors closed. They whispered something to each other before parting. Bucky went down the hall to Scarlett's room while Natasha lingering in what would be considered the living room space on the floor Scarlett shared with Peter, Wanda and Vision, and Pietro.

"Is she okay?" Pietro asked Natasha.

"Physically, she's fine. But Pietro, I really think you need to take a step back from her." Natasha stood close enough to the Quicksilver so that she could whisper quietly. Scarlett had exceptional hearing. All the Widow could do was hope her daughter didn't hear her. "She just killed the kid she's been seeing for a long time."

"He was planning on killing her." Pietro nodded his head. He knew what Natasha was trying to tell him, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to be told what he already knew.

"I know, Pietro." Natasha sat down on the edge of the sofa. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her head down. "What I'm saying is that.... that she may show signs that she feels something for you but I-I don't know if she really is capable of feeling anything."

Pietro sat down on the arm of a chair, his brows furrowing together as he watched the Widow.

"Seeing her snap his neck like that." Natasha snapped her fingers together, softly shaking her head. "I-I don't want to say it or admit it but.... She might be a psychopath, Pietro, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"She's not a psychopath." Pietro uttered out the words, his voice weak and timid like he didn't believe what he was saying. "She can-She can feel."

"I've seen many that act like they can, sweetheart." Natasha reached over to put her hand on his knee. "The truth is cold and it's bitter, but we can't change it. Her genetic background beyond Barnes and me is pretty unfamiliar territory. I don't know who my parents were and Barnes' died a long, long time ago. We don't know what kind of mental illnesses run in either of our families. That combined with her upbringing created the perfect storm."

"She's not a psychopath." Pietro shook his head. Tears stung his eyes. His head was telling him that Natasha was right, but his heart was telling a different story. He had seen the way her eyes shifted when she looked at him. The darkness in them seemed to lift when she looked at him. She smiled and her eyes twinkled. Her laughs were a rarity but they were real and they were a religious experience for him.

Something out of the corner of Natasha's eye caught her attention. It was Bucky. He shook his head softly. He had been unable to talk to Scarlett. Natasha took a deep breath as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Try to get some rest, Pietro." She gave him a little smile. "Maybe tomorrow she'd be willing to talk to you."

Pietro nodded his head, directing his eyes to the floor as he waited for them to leave the floor. The doors to the elevator shut quietly. He found himself standing in front of the door to Scarlett's room. He knocked three times and nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Within a few moments, the door opened.

"Hi, princessa." He smiled gently. "Do you want me to stay with you for the night?"

"I won't be sleeping, but you can stay if you want." She nodded her head. Her voice was quiet and Pietro almost didn't hear her as she turned away to walk back into her dark room. The lamp by her bed was on but that was it. Pietro closed the door behind himself and stayed there for a few moments.

"Are you mad at me for telling them about what you were doing?" He was hesitant to ask. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"No." She spoke over her shoulder. She took off her burgundy leather jacket and placed it across the top of one of the dressers in the room. She unzipped the gray zip up and shrugged out of it. "To be honest.... if you hadn't told them, I probably wouldn't have come back home tonight."

 _Home_. Hearing her use that word warmed Pietro's chest. He smiled just slightly.

"Did they tell you what I did?"

"Not exactly, but I know you." Pietro took off the hoodie he was wearing and tossed it on to the end of her bed. This left him in a black tank. He then moved to lay across her bed. "Once you have your mind set on something, you won't change it."

She said nothing. The last top she wore, a black long sleeve, was peeled off and tossed to the floor, leaving her in black skinny jeans and a black bra. She took his hoodie off of the end of the bed and put it on the dresser next to her. With her back still to Pietro, she unhooked her bra and took it off. She slipped the gray hoodie over her head and tugged it into place. Next to go were her tight skinny jeans. She unbuttoned and unzipped them, then shimmied out of them. She kicked them aside as she turned around to face Pietro. Her long hair was gathered into a ponytail to stay out of her face.

"Can you put on a movie?" She asked quietly as she crawled into the bed. "I don't like hearing Parker talk to whoever he's playing that stupid video game with down the hall."

"Of course." Pietro picked up the remote for the television on the stand by the bed and turned the tv on. Scarlett settled with laying next to him, her leg resting over one of his and her head on his shoulder.

"I wish I could be a better person for you." She whispered, her lips pressing a soft kiss to his warm skin.

"It's a slow process, princessa, but you're getting there." He assured her, brushing a few pieces of hair that she had missed out of her eyes.

"How can you tell?"

"Well.... You want noise on." He gestured to the television. "You liked the silence before. You liked to hear everything. You wanted to know everything that was going on, wanted to be ready for everything."

She said nothing in reply to him. She had never thought of that. Her eyes were focused on nothing, her fingers tracing circles into the material of his shirt just over his heart.

"Pietro? Do you think some people are born bad?"

For a second, Pietro thought that maybe she had heard his conversation with Natasha. But there was no way Scarlett had heard them. Not only was Natasha whispering, but she was all the way down the hallway.

"Sometimes, but I think it all comes down to how people are raised." Pietro glanced down at her. "But I think you have good in you, Scarlett."

Her eyes closed softly and she leaned forward to rest her face in his chest. For a moment, Pietro was afraid that she couldn't breathe. Her nose and mouth both were buried into his chest, but it didn't seem to bother her so he didn't say anything. His fingers came up to gently brush over the soft skin of her outer thigh.


	34. Thirty-Five

Scarlett's fists connected with the hard punching bag, her wrapped knuckles leaving the material for a split second before she delivered a few more rapid punches. She had been up for hours going at it. She was dressed in black spandex leggings and a matching black top. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. A thin layer of sweat had found its way to her skin. Her breathing was a little labored but controlled.

Bucky stood in the doorway of the training room. His arms were crossed as he watched her continue to throw punch after brutal punch to the bag. She was venting, getting out her pent up emotions the only way she knew how. This was a good sign, but also a bad one. There was a growing pile of busted bags in the corner of the room, a telltale sign of her anger.

The punching bag she was currently beating ripped and sand poured out of it. Scarlett stepped back so she wouldn't get sand in her black tennis shoes and took a few deep breaths. She then took the bag down and added it to the pile in the corner of the room.

"Is there something you need, Barnes?" She didn't turn to acknowledge him as she put another bag up onto a bar hanging from the ceiling. Though she hadn't even looked in his direction, she knew he was the one watching her. She could tell by his heartbeat and breathing.

"Just came down here to see what you were doing." Bucky shrugged his broad shoulders. "Everyone else is working on some sort of mission thing that I don't want to be a part of. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She answered flatly. She swiped a few pieces of dark hair back out of her eyes and glanced over to him. He moved further into the training room. He sat down a few yards away from her on a bench.

"I had a few slip ups when I first got out of HYDRA." He absentmindedly rubbed his left arm, his eyes lingering on the punching bags in the corner of the room. "I killed six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and three doctors."

Scarlett looked down to her hands, taking note of the dried blood on the bandages. She must've been punching the bags way too hard.

"I'm past that, Barnes." She murmured gently. She moved to sit about a foot away from him on the bench. "I was with Vince for almost ten years.... and I killed him. People usually cry when they lose someone they've been with or even known that long."

"Do you feel like crying?"

"Not over him." She shook her head. She began to unwrap her hands. "I don't want to hurt Pietro."

"What would you do that would hurt him?" Bucky quietly asked.

"I don't know. I can't predict the future. I can't promise that I won't do something stupid down the road." She shrugged her shoulders. "But I don't want to hurt him."

"When you're close with someone, kid.... hurt kinda comes with it. Doesn't matter if they're just a friend or more than that. Especially people like us." His voice lowered and his eyes dropped back down to his hands. "Opening up for us is more difficult than people realize, and being that way with someone is extremely challenging. Hell, it's been two years and I'm still trying to learn."

"Are you and Nat trying?" Scarlett wasn't sure if she had a right to ask but she was genuinely curious. She had noticed the way they seemed to share little smiles here or there, or passed soft words in Russian when they thought she was too far away to hear.

"Not too hard." Bucky nodded his head, a little smile tugging at his lips. "Just kind of taking things easy, seeing if it gets us anywhere."

Scarlett nodded her head too.

"I thought this was a training room!" Sam's voice echoed off the walls of the large room as he and Steve walked in. Scarlett glanced to the time on the digital clock on the wall across the room. It was seven in the morning. "Y'all are sitting on your lazy asses doing nothing."

"Looks like someone was warming up." Steve gestured to the punching bags in the corner of the room.

"That would be Scarlett." Bucky stood to his feet.

"You guys want to do a little training together?" Steve offered, his eyes flickering back to Scarlett. Her eyes met Bucky's before she nodded her head.

———

It was nearly noon before Steve, Bucky, and Scarlett called it quits. Sam had tapped out a while ago but he did good keeping up with the enhanced members of the team.

After a shower, Scarlett made her way to the kitchen where everyone else was. Just as she was stepping out of the elevator, the phone in her pocket vibrated. It was Pierce.

"Good afternoon, sir." She stopped by the elevator, not daring to go closer to the Avengers who were chatting quietly in the kitchen. "I assume you received my message."

_"I did. Did you get sloppy with it?"_

"No, sir. I was in and out in ten minutes." She lied. She had been waiting in the hotel room for nearly two hours for Vince after having killed Agent Bellamy, but Pierce didn't need to know that.

_"Good. I'm about to walk into my meeting with Giovanni and tell him the news. I won't be keeping it from him that you were the one to take out his son."_

"I'm okay with that, sir. I'm willing to handle the consequences of Mr. Warren. It's Will that I'm a little more concerned about. He's a good agent and I don't want to have to kill him too."

_"Luckily he won't find out unless Giovanni tells him."_

"Good."

_"I do have some news regarding you taking my position within HYDRA after I'm gone, Scarlett."_

Scarlett took a quiet deep breath and turned her back to the Avengers.

_"The Governess would like to see you."_

Scarlett's blood ran cold. She wanted to say something but her throat was dry.

_"I think she agrees with me and_ _Mr. Whitehall_ _. We think you'd make a good leader within HYDRA. You just need a little more training. We can talk more about it later. I'll contact you after my meeting with Giovannni."_

The call ended but Scarlett remained where she was. Her feet were frozen to the floor.

"Is everything okay, princessa?" Pietro called from the large table the Avengers were at.

She didn't answer him. She dialed a number and put her phone to her ear. Her hand came up to brush through her dark hair.

_"Rollins."_

"Rollins. It's Rose. Is Rumlow near you?"

_"Agent Rosie. What're you doing calling me?"_

"I'm not in the mood for your games, asshole. Is Rumlow near you, yes or no?"

_"Yeah, jeez. Loosen up a little."_

There was a brief moment of silence before Rumlow spoke.

_"What do I owe the pleasure, Scarface?"_

"Have you heard anything from the Governess recently?"

_"Why do you think I would know anything about that stuck up bitch?"_

"Because you like to talk a lot of shit about people. Where is she right now?"

_"Probably in France where she usually is. Why?"_

"Pierce said she wants to talk to me. Any clue why?"

_"Well I don't know. Maybe 'cause you just offed the kid she wanted you to marry. Oh, and you kinda left HYDRA for a couple months. Maybe she thinks you're getting soft. Hey! Maybe she'll put you through one of those new courses she does with the special kiddies at the academy and maybe you'll learn where your place is within—,"_

"Go to hell, Rumlow." Scarlett hung up and stuffed her phone into her pocket.

The Avengers were silent as as Scarlett moved towards the table. She took a seat next to Pietro, promptly ignoring everyone else.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. She nodded her head. "Are you hungry? There's cereal and French toast."

"I'm not hungry." Scarlett shook her head. She sat on the edge of her seat, facing him. She was watching him as he took a bite of his cereal. Out of the corner of his eyes, Pietro glanced over to her. He smiled softly at her but said nothing. His hand found her knee underneath the table.

"Did you sleep good last night?" He quietly asked her. She answered him honestly with a little shake of her head. "Do you want to go lay down? We can go watch tv."

"That sounds good." She nodded her head. She bit her bottom lip as she looked around the table. No one seemed to be paying attention to her anymore. She took a soft deep breath and tapped her nails against the wooden table.

———

Scarlett put the cap back on the red lipstick and glanced down very briefly to pick up a tube of mascara. When she looked back up into the mirror, Pietro was standing in the doorway behind her.

"You look pretty." He complimented quietly. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "Where are you going?"

"Out. I have to meet with someone."

"It's almost nine."

"I know." Scarlett applied mascara to her eyelashes and took a steady deep breath. "I'm sorry I've been distant today. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Talking might help."

She shook her head gently, turning around to face him.

"I can't talk to you about this. The less you know, the safer you are."

Pietro was standing in front of her in the blink of an eye. A soft breeze blew her dark hair back. He brushed her dark hair back, his eyes studying her face. She was wearing makeup. He had only seen her wear makeup once or twice in the months he had known her.

"Who are you going to see?" His soft blue eyes found hers.

"Someone you don't know." She answered.

"Is it Rumlow?" Doubts swarmed his mind. What if she was going to meet another man? Surely she could have any man–or woman–she wanted. She was beautiful and powerful. He was lucky to even be able to breathe the same air as her.

"No." Her dark eyebrows drew together softly. "Why would you think that, Pietro?"

"You were on the phone with him this morning. I heard you." There was a frown etched into his pink lips as he studied her red ones. He liked the color on her. His fingers brushed along her jaw and started down the side of her neck.

"He's a colleague, Pietro." Scarlett pulled his hand away from her neck and laced their fingers together. "I don't like him."

"But you've slept with him before."

"I've slept with many people before, men and women. I never get attached." She promised, kissing the inside of his wrist before letting his hand go and moving out of the bathroom. She went down the hallway to her bedroom. The black heels she would be wearing for the night rested on the edge of her bed. She sat down on the bed and began to put the heels on.

"And women?" Pietro repeated, kneeling down to put the heel on for her. A sly grin crossed his lips as he gazed up at her. She rolled her eyes. "Why are you getting so dressed up for whoever it is?" He fastened the buckle on the heel around her ankle and moved on to the next one.

Scarlett was dressed in a white long sleeve tucked into a black pencil skirt that fell to her knees. Her dark pin straight hair was left down. It was odd for him to see her with her hair down. She very rarely left it out of a ponytail or bun.

"The woman I'm meeting is very powerful within HYDRA. She doesn't expect me to roll up in leather and combat boots." Scarlett sighed out. As he buckled the heel into place, he pressed a kiss to her bare knee then stood to his feet.

"How late do you think you'll be out?"

"It's hard to tell." She answered honestly. "But I can tell you that I will be back." She stood up and let him pull her in for a kiss. Her eyes closed as he left a trail of kisses from her lips along her jaw and to her neck. "I have to go, Pietro." Her hands softly gripped his arms. "Get some rest. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

———

The Adair was an expensive luxury hotel in Manhattan just a few blocks away from the Avengers Tower. Scarlett knew what to expect when she arrived. The Governess had a group of six men waiting in the lobby of the hotel for Scarlett. They led her up to the Governess' room on the thirty-sixth floor.

The Governess was sitting in a leather chair, holding a glass of what appeared to be champagne in her hand. Her skin was alabaster and her blonde hair was just a few shades away from white. Her hair was tied back into a neat bun on the back of her head. She wore a floor length black dress with cut out shoulders. She rose to her feet and a soft smile crossed her pink lips at the sight of Scarlett.

"You look so beautiful, my sweet Scarlett." She held her hands out for Scarlett. Scarlett put her hands in the Governess' and allowed her to kiss her cheek. "It's been too long since we've seen each other. Please, have a seat."

Scarlett sat down in a seat to the Governess' left and folded her hands into her lap. The Governess watched her for a few moments, turning her head to the side.

"My child, you don't need to be so on edge."

"I'm not on edge, ma'am." Scarlett spoke softly, directing her eyes down to the coffee table.

"Are you afraid that you are here so that you will be punished for what you've done?"

Scarlett's blue eyes flickered up to meet the older woman's.

"Answer me, Scarlett."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I think you should've known about your birthparents a long time ago." The Governess sat back in her seat and crossed her knees. She brought her glass of champagne to her lips to take a little sip. "But it wasn't in my place to tell you."

"Are you upset about.... about how everyone is saying that I've turned my back on HYDRA?" Scarlett timidly asked. The Governess put her glass down and clasped her hands together in her lap.

"People like us don't turn our backs on HYDRA, Scarlett. We have nothing outside of the organization. If we turn away from the only structure we've been given, where else will we go? What else will give our lives meaning?"

Scarlett nodded her head softly.

"What does concern me is Alexander Pierce." The Governess sighed out, then smirked a little. "You know me and my desire to know everyone's business. Turns out the Heads of HYDRA are planning on getting rid of our only chance of survival." The Governess looked to a man across the room and nodded her head once. He approached her, pulling a phone out of his pocket. He passed the object to her. "They want to kill you, Scarlett. I have a piece of a phone conversation between Pierce and Gideon Malick." The Governess pressed play on the small bit of audio recording.

_"I can't believe I'm hearing you say this, Alex."_

_"Things change and I fear that Scarlett no longer has our best interests in mind. She needs to be eliminated."_

_"How exactly do you plan on doing that? She just slaughtered her fiancé who was plotting against her. She'll kill all of us if she finds out."_

_"Oh I have no doubt she will. But that's why she won't find out about it until it's too late."_

"The rest of the recording is a little dicey." The Governess sighed. "A few of my men got into an altercation with some of Malick's."

"Do they know you got the recording?"

"No. My men took care of it."

"Why does Pierce want me dead?" Scarlett looked over to the Governess.

"He doesn't see the fire in you anymore. He thinks that emotions make you weak. Emotions make a man weak, but they empower women. They are what drive us." The Governess paused for a moment, her piercing blue eyes glued to Scarlett. "Tell me, my child, who is the boy who has captured your attention?"

Scarlett refrained from showing any emotion. She softly shook her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, ma'am."

"You can't lie to me, sweet Scarlett Rose." The Governess hummed. "You're my daughter. I know you better than anyone else. I can see it in your beautiful eyes. Tell me his name."

Lying to the Governess was never a good idea but Scarlett didn't want to tell her about Pietro. She bit the inside of her cheek and dropped her gaze to her hand for a moment.

"He was an experiment of Strucker's and List's."

"I'm not very fond of either of them. They're far too reckless." The Governess gently bounced her foot up and down. "What's his name?"

Scarlett let out a soft breath and placed her hand on her knee. Her fingers curled into her skin.

"Pietro. His name is Pietro."

"I've always loved the Eastern Europeans." The Governess smiled. "I'd love to meet him. Perhaps he could have dinner with us sometime."

"He's no longer with HYDRA, ma'am."

The Governess seemed to freeze for a moment, them she softly nodded her head.

"He's the fast one, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Fascinating." The Governess tapped her nails rhythmically against her glass of champagne. She looked away from Scarlett and let out a little sigh. "He's an Avenger."

"Yes." Though Scarlett knew the Governess hadn't asked a question, she confirmed the statement.

"Has he changed you?"

"He's trying.... but it isn't working." Scarlett shook her head softly.

"Good. You can't change the way you were born, Scarlett. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"Madame?" A woman approached the Governess with a phone. "It's Daniel Whitehall."

"Take a message. I'm tending to more important matters." The Governess turned her attention back to Scarlett. "My child, I know I've been absent for a while but I intend on making it up to you."

"You were gone for seven years." Scarlett murmured gently, trying not to sound hurt. The Governess had been the closest thing she had to a maternal role model and quite frankly, she admired the Governess. "Where were you?"

"I was dying, Scarlett." The Governess whispered. "When I was young, I was sick with cancer. It went away with treatment but it returned. I did not want you or anyone else to see me like that. I was weak and quite frankly, it was humiliating."

"Are you still dying?"

"Heaven's no, child." The Governess shook her head with a little smile. "I'm better now. That's why I'm back. And it seems that I've come back at just the right time. HYDRA seems to be going to shit. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I do. Our leadership is weak and with a weak leadership comes weak agents. We have few strong agents, most are from before the uprise but we do have some good new ones."

"Have you have ideas on how to handle the issue?"

Scarlett paused for a moment. Pierce had done the exact same thing with her. He asked her for her opinion and her stance on the problem. He wanted her trust and he had gained it. But now he wanted her dead. Did the Governess want the same thing?

"I would treat it like an illness. Clean out the weak and the sick. Start fresh if we need to."

The corners of the Governess' lips pulled up. That was exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Who would you start with?"

"The Heads of HYDRA?"

"Interesting." She hummed with a little nod of her head. "And who would be there to ensure that what is left of HYDRA does not collapse?"

"I would, ma'am." Scarlett answered firmly. "I strongly believe that I have the attributes and abilities to make HYDRA as powerful as it once was."

The Governess was silent for a brief moment and Scarlett took this as a bad sign. She thought she had been wrong to say what she had said.

"I knew from the moment I put my eyes on you, my child, that you were destined for glorious things." The Governess stood to her feet and held her hand out for Scarlett. Scarlett stood to her feet. The Governess put her hand on Scarlett's face, gingerly brushing her thumb across Scarlett's skin. "You will make a marvelous leader. You're fearless and ruthless. I will gladly follow you for the rest of my life."

Scarlett's chest tightened and a proud smile crossed her lips. The Governess leaned down to kiss Scarlett's forehead. She tucked a few pieces of Scarlett's dark hair behind her ear and then moved away.

"I have business to attend to, my child, but I would love it if you and Pietro had dinner with me some time this week."

"Whenever you would like, ma'am."

"Fabulous. Why don't you take the keys to one of my Bentleys in the garage?" The Governess looked to a man standing by the door and waved him over. "Give her the keys to the Continental."

"Yes, madame." The man pulled a few pairs of keys out of his pockets before passing one set to Scarlett.

"It was lovely seeing you, Scarlett."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Governess is based on the Countess from American Horror Story because I love her. The Governess in my head looks like Lady Gaga with platinum blonde hair.


	35. Thirty-Six

"She's been in the garage since three this morning, boss." Friday spoke. Tony was in the elevator leaning against one of the corners with a cup of coffee in hand. After a restless night of sleep, he decided to get up early and tinker with something in the garage beneath the Tower.

"What's she been doing down there?" He asked the AI system. He glanced to the time on the Rolex on his wrist. It was just past 6:30a.m.

"Tearing apart a car."

"Who's car?" He was only slightly concerned. He could replace any cars he had that she was messing with. He was more worried about why she was messing with his cars.

"I'm not sure, boss."

The doors opened and he left the elevator. All seven of his cars seemed to be in perfect condition. None of them had been messed with, but there was an eighth car sitting in the garage. It was a ruby red Bentley Continental GT. Its hood was off and sitting on the floor a few feet away. The steering wheel and two front seats were also missing from inside the vehicle.

Sticking out from underneath the front end of the expensive car were two white sneakers. Tony leaned against his Audi parked next to it and took a sip of his coffee.

"Whatcha up to, kid?"

"Working." She answered flatly.

"No shit." He rolled his eyes at her. "Where did you find this?"

"Someone gave it to me."

"Right, right. 'Cause people just give away $200,000 cars." He nodded his head. Scarlett slid out from underneath the car on a creeper and sat up to lean against the front bumper.

"The woman who was the closest thing to a mother I had growing up gave it to me."

"When?"

"Last night when I went to talk to her." Scarlett stood to her feet and brushed her hands off on the pant legs of her jeans.

"Was she a cool mom?" Tony figured that since she was willing to talk now that he'd do his best to get as much out of her as he could.

"I guess." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "She gave me anything I wanted, so I guess that was good."

"She gave you a nice car. Why are you tearing it apart?"

"To make sure there's no tracking chip in it or any kind of HYDRA tech."

"Smart." Tony nodded his head. "How long have you been up?"

"Never went to sleep." She called over her shoulder. She shuffled through a pile of tools then picked up a wrench.

"When was the last time you did sleep?"

"Few days ago." She got back down on to the creeper and pushed herself underneath the car. "Sleep isn't easy."

Tony could relate. Sometimes it was easier to push through a day tired and worn than it was to close your eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Scar?"

———

Scarlett and Tony made their way out of the elevator. Tony laughed at something Scarlett had said. It closer to nine the morning now so the rest of the team was working on getting up and getting the day started.

"What've you two been up to?" Pepper asked curiously as Tony moved to greet her.

"Tore apart Scar's really nice Bentley and got to rebuild it." He grinned. "It was awesome."

"Bentley?" Clint repeated with raised brows. "She has a Bentley?"

"Yeah. Costs almost fifty grand more than my best Audi."

"How can you afford a Bentley?" Bucky asked Scarlett, who had taken a seat at the bar next to Pietro.

"I have nice things."

" _Nice_ _things_?" Sam's eyes widened. She had just called a Bentley a _nice thing_.

"How did you come across this nice car?" Natasha looked down the bar to her daughter.

"The Governess gave it to me."

"The Governess?" The Widow repeated.

"What the hell's a Governess?" Bruce looked around the room to see if any of his friends knew what Scarlett was talking about but they seemed equally confused.

"She's one of HYDRA's biggest investors. She's the closest thing I have to a mother."

Natasha looked down to her coffee cup, trying not to let it show that Scarlett's words hurt.

"What's her real name?" Pietro put his hand on Scarlett's knee, his fingers tracing circles into the material of her jeans.

"I don't know." Scarlett lied with a gentle shake of her head. "No one ever calls her anything other than the Governess."

"So she's rich?" Tony sat down at the bar next to Pepper and Thor.

"Stupid rich. She comes from old money. She's more than a century old. Don't know how she stays young, but she does." Scarlett softly shrugged her shoulders.

"You ever heard of her, Buck?" Steve glanced across the room to his best friend, who was sitting across the sofa.

"I never got the luxury of dealing with the rich people of HYDRA. Why did you go to meet her, Scar?"

"She wanted to talk, and you don't say no to her."

"She was a mother figure to you?" Natasha murmured softly. Scarlett let out a soft breath, her nails tapping against the marble bartop.

"She taught me how to use my femininity to get what I need on a mission. She taught me how to let my emotions guide me. She was there for me when I needed her!" Scarlett's fingers curled into a fist and slammed down on to the edge of the bar. A chunk of the heavy marble fell off and hit the floor with an echoing clank. "She _knows_ that I am capable of feeling emotions! She doesn't think I'm a fucking psychopath!"

She stormed towards the elevator. Just as the doors opened, a gust of wind blew her hair into her face. Pietro stood in the elevator already, prepared to calm down the angry assassin. She stopped just outside of the elevator with her hands curled into tight fists by her sides.

"I don't want to hurt you, Maximoff. Give me some space." She couldn't help but speak through her teeth to him.

"I want to help you, princessa—,"

"I don't want your help right now, Pietro." Scarlett got into the elevator and practically punched the down button.

As the doors hissed shut, Pietro turned to face Natasha.

"I can't believe you think she's a psychopath." He shook his head. "You've seen the progress she's made—,"

"It was a mistake I made, Pietro." Natasha cut him off quickly. "I was upset with what I saw and—,"

"What mistake?" Bucky stood to his feet and moved towards the bar. The Black Widow's eyes flickered down to her coffee. "What mistake did you make, Natasha?"

"She called Scarlett a psychopath!" Pietro was furious. Natasha had made Scarlett doubt herself and what she was feeling. She made Scarlett distance herself from Pietro for the last day and a half. "She said Scarlett wasn't able to feel emotions but it's a goddamned lie!"

"Calm down, Pietro." Wanda murmured softly, reaching out to put a hand on her brother's arm. He stepped away from her, fearing that he'd hurt her if she was within touching distance.

"You want to know how I know it's a lie, Romanoff?" Pietro spoke through his teeth as he jabbed a finger into his own chest, taking a few steps towards her. There were tears of anger and pain in his eyes as he looked down at her. "She will stay awake for days–sometimes weeks even. I'm sure of it. She won't sleep unless _I_ am there with her, and when she finally does sleep, it's usually with her face so buried into my chest that it feels like she's suffocating. She's only ever comfortable enough to sleep with me. She sleeps so lightly that I can take a deep breath or move the wrong way and she wakes up. On the rare occasions that she does actually close her eyes and sleep, I'm absolutely terrified to move or even breathe 'cause I'm afraid she'll wake up. She likes it when I mess with her hair or kiss her cheek. She pretends to hate my stupid jokes but I know she likes them because her eyes shift when she looks at me. They're dark and full of rage and anger and all of the horrible things she's had to go through, but when she looks at me.... when she looks at me all of it disappears." Pietro's voice was soft and his anger had turned into pain. "She keeps that stuffed bear I won for her at the fair in Malibu in her room. It's on the stand by her bed and sometimes I catch her staring at it when she's thinking."

A soft smile crossed Pietro's lips as he thought about the assassin he had fallen head over heels for. He shook his head and hastily brushed the tears from his cheeks with the palm of his hand.

"She asks me all the time if I think she's a bad person or if I think there's good in her. She has so many doubts in her head and so many demons, Natasha. Yes, she is dangerous, and yes, she has done bad things, but that doesn't mean she can't change. She is a breathtaking force to be reckoned with, and I love it. I—,"

Pietro stopped himself from continuing. He shook his head, running a hand over his face as he took a few steps away from the Black Widow. He was gone in a blur of electric blue.

"You called her a psychopath?" Bucky nearly raised his voice as his fingers curled into fists by his sides.

"I didn't say it to her face, James." Natasha spoke gently. "It was the other night when we brought her home from Albany. You saw the way she was, James. Her eyes went dark when she snapped his neck. She never once cried in the two hour drive back here."

"She's just like you, Natasha." Clint spoke up, noticing how frustrating the Winter Soldier appeared. "She can cut her emotions off just like that." He snapped his fingers. "But that doesn't mean she's a psychopath. You aren't."

"I made a mistake." She admitted. "I was upset and venting. I shouldn't have said those things out loud."

"Why was she going to meet with this Governess lady?" Steve looked to Tony. He wanted to change the subject. He knew Bucky was mad at Natasha and he didn't want the fight to escalate. 

"Why are you looking at me?" The Iron Man raised his brows.

"You spent the morning with her."

"We didn't talk about what she did last night." Tony stood up to pour himself another cup of coffee. "She's smart as shit though. I can carry a conversation about thermodynamics and particle physics better with her than I could with any of you."

"Including me?" Bruce almost frowned at Tony's words.

"Of course not, buddy." Tony flashed him a smile. "But I'm telling you what. Everyone, and I mean everyone, underestimates her. We think she's all muscle and anger problems. Not once in the three hours we were down in the garage did she raise her voice or get angry. She held a conversation with me and I even enjoyed it a little. She's a cool kid when you get pass the creepy glares she gives everyone."

"That's what I've been saying." Peter smiled from where he sat on the back of the sofa. "I think she's awesome. I even kinda like her creepy glares."

"Of course you do."

———

Pietro found Scarlett in her room. She was standing by the large wall of windows with her arms crossed and her stance rigid.

"You okay, princessa?"

"I'm fine." She answered. He expected the words to come out of her mouth. That was always her answer.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want me to distract you from it?" He moved towards her. Once he was close enough, he slipped his arms around he waist and pulled her back into him. She said nothing. "I think you have emotions, princessa. They just aren't always easy for you to express." He pressed a kiss to the back of head. "Doesn't mean you don't have them."

"Sometimes I feel like I don't." She muttered under her breath. Pietro tried to get her to move away from the windows but she wouldn't budge.

"Come sit with me, princessa." He encouraged, pulling her arms apart so he could take her hand. With a sigh, she left the window and let him take her to the edge of the bed. He made her sit down on the edge of the bed and he knelt down in the floor in front of her. "Scarlett, you've been through horrible things. You've done things and seen things that I-I-I can't even begin to comprehend." His hands held both of hers firmly between his own. "In order to survive what they did to you, you had to stop feeling. If you felt everything that's been done to you, you wouldn't be here today."

He leaned forward to tenderly kiss her cheek.

"But this is the time that you start to heal." He let one of her hands go and uncurled her fingers. He placed her hand flat against his chest so she could feel his heartbeat through the thin material of his shirt. "This is where you let yourself feel, Scarlett."

She stubbornly shook her head, her jaw flexing as she locked it tightly and looked past him. Her eyes were glossy as she tried her best to avoid his gaze. Pietro let her hand go, leaving it on his chest, and put his hand on her cheek. He turned her head so she had to look down at him.

"I'm not asking you to feel the pain, princessa." His words were soft murmurs, his liquid blue eyes locking with hers. "I'm asking that you feel me and what I want you to feel. I want you to be happy and I want you to smile. I want you to fall asleep with me at night and then wake up in the mornings with me so we can have breakfast together. We can start off with little things like that."

Scarlett's eyes lingered on his before she turned her head away, making his hand leave her face.

"She wants to meet you." Her eyes closed as she spoke. "The Governess."

"She does?" Pietro furrowed his brows together. "How does she know about me?"

"She knows everything." She opened her eyes and finally met his gaze. "I never wanted her to know about you, Pietro. I'm so sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, princessa." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. As he pulled away from her, she leaned more into his touch. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tucked her nose into his neck. "Are you tired?"

"Yes." She admitted.

"Will you lay down with me?"

She nodded her head softly.


	36. Thirty-Six

Pietro's thumb traced shapes into the side of Scarlett's arm. She was fast asleep and had been that way for the last two hours. He was practically laying on her chest, his cheek resting just below her collarbone. Her breathing was soft and shallow, something that worried Pietro. He had to really watch her to make sure she was breathing.

Scarlett's phone vibrated on the stand next to the bed. Pietro stiffened up and opened his mouth to wake her up but her eyes fluttered open and her hand came up to rub them.

"Your phone is going off."

She looked over to where her phone was and picked it up.

"I need to sit up, Pietro."

He sat back on the bed and watched her sit up. She answered the call, putting the phone to her ear.

"Yes, sir?"

"How did the meeting with the Governess go?"

Pietro could faintly hear a man on the other end of the line.

"It went surprisingly good, sir. She was curious about what happened with Vince Warren and what's been going on in HYDRA recently."

Pietro couldn't hear what was said next but Scarlett nodded her head.

"Yes, sir. I'll keep in touch." She put her phone down on the stand by her bed.

"Who was that?" Pietro tucked a few pieces of her hair behind her ears.

"Pierce." She turned her head to kiss the inside of his wrist. "Pietro, my stomach hurts."

"Are you hungry? Did you eat enough today?"

"That's not it." She shook her head. "Something bad is going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"It's just...." Scarlett trailed off as she laid back in the bed and Pietro returned to laying his head on her chest. "My instincts are the only thing I trust. If I feel like something bad is going to happen, it usually does."

"Do you trust me?" He lifted his head up to look at her. Her fingers trailed through his silvery curls.

"No." She admitted. "Not completely."

"But a little?"

"A little." She nodded. He smiled and kissed her lips then kissed her cheek.

"Have you eaten today?"

"I'm not hungry, Pietro. I just want to lay here."

"I'm perfectly fine with that." He put his nose into the valley between her breasts. Scarlett let out an airy laugh as his fingers tickled her sides.

"Pietro, quit!"

"I love your laugh." He stopped tickling her and settled with just laying on her. "You should do it more often."

She said nothing as she looked down at him, gently raking her fingers through his hair. Her phone vibrated once more on the stand. She picked it up and answered the call.

"Good morning, ma'am."

Pietro looked up at her, watching her features as she spoke.

"Good morning, Scarlett. There's been a slight change of plans and I have to leave the city a week earlier than I had anticipated. I'd love it if we were able to get together tonight for dinner." A female voice spoke. The voice sounded soft and elegant.

"Tonight?" Scarlett repeated, glancing over to the alarm clock on the stand by her bed. It was 6:39pm.

"I know it will be a little late but I'd really love to meet Mr. Maximoff. How does an hour from now at the Skyline sound?"

"It.... It sounds great, ma'am." Scarlett nodded her head gently.

"Wonderful. I'll see you in a little bit, my sweet child."

Scarlett placed her phone on the bed beside her and then rubbed her eyes.

"Who was that?"

"The Governess." She sighed gently. "I need to get ready."

"For what?" He sat up again and watched her get out of the bed.

"Dinner with her. You're coming with me." She moved over to her closet and pushed the door open. She stepped into the dark room and didn't turn the light on for a moment. As the light turned on, Scarlett threw the shirt she had been wearing out into the bedroom.

"What do I wear?" Pietro laid back on the bed, propping himself up on one elbow as he watched the closet door.

"Not sweatpants or basketball shorts."

He could hear her roll her eyes at him. Those were the only clothes he wore. He smiled just a little.

"Dress pants and a nice shirt would be fine."

"What are you wearing?"

She didn't answer him. A few minutes passed before she stepped out of the closet in a black turtle neck dress. It came up a few inches above her knees and it had long sleeves. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in and ruffled her fingers through the long strands. She flipped her head over so she could gather her hair in one hand and then she stood back up to tie it into a neat bun.

"Go get dressed. I'm not going to let you make me late."

"I think you look pretty." Pietro was standing in front of her in a heartbeat. He leaned down to kiss her cheek and then dashed out of the room.

———

Pietro's eyes flickered around the restaurant. Scarlett was walking just a few feet ahead of him, leading the way to a secluded area towards the back. Her heels clicked against the marble flooring and she held her head high. Pietro spotted a woman sitting alone at a table that Scarlett was nearing. She had pin straight light blonde hair that fell half way down her back. She wore a white dress with sleeves that hung off her shoulders.

As the duo neared the table, a group of four men approached them, their eyes set on the Avenger. Each man was at least four times bigger than Pietro. Scarlett stepped in their path, her gaze darkening as she glared up at the leader. She stood between the massive guards and Pietro, prepared to fight them to keep him safe.

"I don't think you want to do that." She spoke through her teeth. One of them men went for the gun on his hip.

"Gentlemen, that's not how we treat our guests." The Governess stood from her seat. "And certainly not my Scarlett. Let them by, guys."

The men parted but didn't take their eyes off of the Quicksilver.

Pietro watched with fascination as Scarlett was embraced by the Governess and the woman kissed Scarlett's cheek.

"I feel like I don't tell you often enough just how radiant and gorgeous you are." The Governess smiled at Scarlett, then her eyes flickered back to Pietro. "This is him?"

"Pietro Maximoff, this is the Governess."

"My, my. You are handsome." The Governess took his hands and carefully inspected him. "He's a little thinner than Vincent was."

"Pietro is a runner, ma'am." Scarlett told her. "Vince wasn't."

"Right. This one is enhanced." The Governess held his gaze for a few moments. She liked the way he didn't look away from her when their eyes met. She moved to sit down at the table. "Please, have a seat."

Scarlett briefly glanced over to Pietro to make sure he was okay before she sat down across from the Governess.

"Alex called me this morning." The Governess took a sip of champagne and glanced up at Scarlett through her lashes. "He said he has evidence that you are plotting against HYDRA."

"What evidence?" Scarlett didn't try to deny it. She remained still, her back straight and her shoulders squared. Her hands were folded in her lap as she held the Governess' gaze.

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm leaving New York early. He wants to meet in Lisbon to discuss it."

"He's going to try to kill you."

"I know. I'd like you to join me." The Governess leaned back in her chair. "He won't know you are there. You'll be in another room, but if anything happens you will be able to step in."

"You don't trust your own men?" Pietro asked. Scarlett shot him a look that told him to shut up. The Governess' icy blue eyes flickered over to him. She held his gaze for a few moments, admiring the way he didn't look away in fear.

"Have you ever seen my Scarlett Rose fight, Mr. Maximoff?"

"No, ma'am." He answered with a little shake of his head.

"Then you've never seen true power." The Governess whispered. "She could easily disarm all two dozen of my men in this room and the other dozen I have outside of this restaurant without even breaking a sweat. I have more faith and trust in her than I do in anyone else."

"You plan on walking into a trap Alexander Pierce is going to set for you?" Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "He'll suspect that you know something. He doesn't trust you."

"And he shouldn't, but I won't allow him to think he can get rid of me. I've been invested with HYDRA far longer than he has. I'm not going to put up with his ways." The Governess tapped her nails against the tabletop.

Scarlett took a soft deep breath and curled her fingers into tight fists in her lap.

"When do you need me, ma'am?" She questioned, ever obedient to her superiors.

"Not until tomorrow night. I'm leaving for Lisbon tonight. My people will secure the hotel I'll be staying in. I'll fill you in on the rest of the details on your flight over."

———

"So she raised you?" Pietro glanced over to Scarlett. The two had decided to walk back to the Tower instead of drive. Scarlett wanted time to think and Pietro didn't want her to walk alone.

"With Pierce's help." Scarlett nodded her head. "Pierce took all the credit for how I turned out but it was the Governess who did this." She gestured to herself. "She was kind to me when no one else was. She kind of treated me like a daughter."

"When are you leaving?"

"Probably sometime tomorrow."

"You don't have to go, you know."

"I do." Scarlett shook her head. "Pierce wants me dead. I heard him say it."

"How do you know the Governess doesn't want you dead too?"

Scarlett said nothing. She didn't know but she wanted desperately to think that not everyone who had raised her was now trying to kill her.

"What she wants you to do, it sounds dangerous, Scarlett."

"I've done it plenty of times before. I've played bodyguard with her. The only difference is that Pierce is the one I'm protecting her against."

"But he's dangerous."

"So am I." Scarlett quietly reminded him. Her eyes met his very briefly before she looked ahead of herself. Pietro said nothing.


	37. Thirty-Eight

Scarlett watched as a handful of the Avengers aggressively played Mario Kart. She didn't understand how they were so amused and entertained by the video game. Peter, Tony, Steve, Thor, Vision, Sam and Clint were playing the game while Scarlett, Natasha, Bucky, and Bruce observed. Scarlett sat at the bar next to Bucky.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened. Scarlett turned her head to see Wanda stepping out of the elevator. The Witch raised her hand towards Scarlett and flicked her wrist. Scarlett was thrown across the room into a wall. Her body went through the wall like it was made of paper. Scarlett landed on her back, the air swiftly exiting her lungs through her parted lips. She gritted her teeth together and forced herself over on to her stomach. From there, she was able to push herself to her feet. Hearing Wanda's angry stomps approaching her, Scarlett spun around to face the enhanced Avenger. Wanda pulled Scarlett towards her with her telekinesis. Scarlett fell to the ground at Wanda's feet. She tried to stand but she couldn't. Pain began to course through Scarlett's body. It was a burning sensation like white hot metal had been pressed to her whole body.

Scarlett looked up through dark lashes at the enraged woman. Wanda's eyes were glowing red and her teeth were bared. The Avengers were calling Wanda's name, trying to get her attention, but Wanda was too far gone. Scarlett stayed where she was, her feet firmly planted on the ground as the Scarlet Witch moved towards her.

"Where is he?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett answered as calmly as she could, though the words came out through clenched teeth. The pain was nearly unbearable but she didn't want to show how bad it hurt. Wanda let out a growl of frustration. Her hand latched around Scarlett's throat. Unable to move her body, Scarlett had no choice but to stay there on her knees.

"I can't hear him." Wanda hissed. Tears were in her eyes as she glared down at the assassin. "You killed him."

Wanda was suddenly being pulled away from Scarlett, her hand leaving Scarlett's throat. Thor was the one to step in. Scarlett coughed harshly and took steady deep breaths.

"Are you okay, Scar?" Bucky asked, hesitantly approaching his daughter.

"I'm fine." Scarlett hunched over, bracing herself with her hands by her knees. "You're talking about Pietro?" She looked up at the Witch.

"You were the last one to see him!" Wanda cried out. Thor still had his arm wrapped around her to hold her back. "You did something to him!"

"Wanda, you need to calm down." Steve told her, stepping into Wanda's line of vision so she could no longer see Scarlett.

"Scarlett?" Natasha questioningly looked to her. "When did you last see Pietro?"

"This morning." She pushed herself to her feet and brushed off her shirt. Her eyes lingered on Wanda, carefully watching the Avenger. Wanda was truthfully angry and worried about her brother.

"I saw him around ten this morning." Peter spoke from the couch. "He was leaving the Tower."

"Has anyone seen him since?" Steve asked the team. Everyone shook their heads and muttered quiet no's. "Stark—,"

"Already on it." Tony cut the Captain off. "Friday, search the city for Sonic."

"Yes, boss."

"Did he say where he was going?" Scarlett looked to Peter. Peter shook his head. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers curled into tight fists by her sides. "I'll find him."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Bruce asked her.

"I'm going to make a few calls." Scarlett pulled out her phone and dialed the number the Governess had given her. She hastily made her way towards the elevator.

"Who is this, and how did you get this number?" A deep male voice questioned.

"I need to speak to the Governess."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Calling and just demanding to speak to her—,"

"I'm Scarlett Rose." She hit the button for her floor and watched the elevator doors close. There was a brief moment of silence on the line.

"Scarlett, my child. Why are you calling me?"

"Did you do something to Pietro?" Scarlett started to pace around the elevator. Her veins were filling with anger and adrenaline, a lethal mix.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"He's missing."

"Well, that's unfortunate, darling. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, but I'll let you know if there is." Scarlett hung up on the Governess, something that she wouldn't normally do. As soon as the doors opened wide enough, she was slipping through them and practically sprinting down the hallway to her room. As she changed out of leggings and a hoodie and into something more practical, her mind began to race through all of the agents she knew within HYDRA. She needed someone to get information out of.

She put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a fitting black long sleeve tucked into the pants. Her long, dark hair was gathered back into a ponytail. She picked up a pair of combat boots from the floor of her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She pulled her phone out and dialed a number.

"Rumlow."

"Rumlow, it's me." She tucked her phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could put her boots on.

"Scarface. I don't think I like you having my number. Startin' to feel like you think we're friends or something."

"We're far from friends. Do you know anything about that missing Maximoff?"

"Why?"

"Because he's been missing since this morning and all of the Avengers are pointing fingers at me. They think I did something so I need to know what's been done with him."

"You know I can't disclose information like that, Scarface."

"My ass in on the line, Rumlow. I'm trying to maintain my position here but that's kind of hard when they start going missing and everyone immediately jumps to thinking I did something."

There was a brief pause before Rumlow sighed out.

"I don't know much, but I overheard a call Pierce had with Whitehall. They mentioned the fast one a few times. Pierce thinks you've gotten soft for him. Have you?"

"Hell no." Scarlett answered firmly.

"You sure about that, Scarlett? You know those kind of ties aren't worth a damn."

"I don't need to be lectured by you, Rumlow." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I know."

"Good."

"What else do you know?"

"A team was dispatched this morning to retrieve him. M'not sure why Pierce would want him back. We've given up on both of the twins."

Scarlett fell silent as she remembered the pictures Sunil Bakshi had of her and Pietro. Bakshi worked directly under Whitehall. Maybe Bakshi had something to do with this.

"Thanks, Rumlow. I owe you one."

"Yeah you do. Don't do anything stupid, Scarface."

"You know, I'm going to kill you one of these days for calling me that." She stood to her feet and let out a heavy sigh.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

The call ended and Scarlett stuffed her phone into her pocket.

———

Two Days Later  
Somewhere in Ontario

Scarlett kicked the front door to the cabin in. It was a rather large two story cabin that sat in the middle of nowhere in Canada. From the outside, it appeared normal but there were two levels underneath the first floor.

After torturing an agent for nearly twenty-four hours, she was able to get information out of her. Bakshi had given Pierce the pictures of Scarlett and Pietro. After seeing this, Pierce decided to reach out to Will Warren, Vince Warren's older brother. Pierce told Will that Scarlett had been the one to kill his little brother and that there was a way he could get back at Scarlett. Hurting and torturing Scarlett would do nothing, but hurting someone she cared about would surely damage her.

The agent sitting on the sofa in the living room rose to his feet. However, he didn't have enough time to draw his gun. Scarlett shot him between the eyes. Once she made sure the top two levels of the cabin were cleared, she made her way down to the first underground floor. There were two women in lab coats quietly talking while they messed on their laptops. Scarlett shot both without batting an eyelash.

She was surprised at how empty the cabin was. There had only been four agents and the two doctors in the whole building.

Scarlett found Pietro on the lowest level of the cabin. He was in a white room with glass covering one wall. He was curled up on the floor, his eyes closed and his shoulders barely moving. Not seeing a door to the room, Scarlett moved towards the wall of glass. It was bullet proof. She tucked her weapon into the holster on her thigh and delivered five powerful punches to the glass. By the second punch, spider-webs had begun to splinter out from where she was hitting. At the fifth punch, the glass shattered.

Shards of glass crunched under her feet as she moved to Pietro's side. She pushed him over on to his back and checked for a pulse. He was breathing.

"Maximoff?" She gently smacked his cheek. "Maximoff, you better answer me."

His brows furrowed together just slightly. He turned his head towards her. His eyes slowly fluttered open. His pupils were dilated.

"Mhmm. Princessa." He hummed, his voice raspy and quiet.

"I'm here, Pietro." Her hand found his. She clasped his fingers in her own. Her opposite hand came up to brush his messy curls out of his face. "What did they do to you?"

"Drugged me." He muttered out. "I-I can't feel my legs."

"Well they're there." She assured him. Her eyes lingered on his face for a few moments before she leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I'm sorry."

Scarlett heard a car door shut just outside.

"I'll be back. I promise." She told Pietro. As badly as she wanted to stay with him, she needed to get a jump on whoever was here.

"Princessa...." Pietro didn't have the strength to say anything else. The sedatives coursing through his system wouldn't allow him to speak and barely allowed him to move. He watched helplessly as the blurry figure that was Scarlett left the room.

———

Scarlett stepped out on to the front porch, her eyes sweeping over the two trucks. There were four agents in each. One agent stood just outside of the truck parked closest to the porch. Scarlett exhaled softly, her breath forming a cloud in front of her lips.

The agent pushed the hood off of his head and took his sunglasses off. It was Will Warren.

"Scarlett. I didn't expect to see you here." He admitted. "It's been a few years."

"I've been busy." She said,

"You look good." He nodded his head a little, taking slow and cautious steps towards the porch. The agents in the two trucks got out and began to follow him. "Did you hear about Vincent?"

"I did." She firmly nodded her head once.

"Do you know anything about what happened to him?" Will moved up the stairs, his boots crunching the snow where he stepped.

"Yes."

Will stopped a few feet away from her. The agents filed on to the porch around him. Scarlett couldn't see who any of the agents were. They were dressed in tact suits with their faces covered.

"Did you kill him?" Will asked quietly, his voice nearly cracking. His eyes were full of pain and grief. Scarlett opened her mouth to answer. Something in her began to ache. If she was honest with herself, she preferred Will over his brother. Will understood her. They had always gotten along. She felt sorry for him, almost guilty that she had killed his only brother.

"Yes."

Will nodded his head, running a gloved hand over his face as he locked his jaw. He looked away from her for a moment, his eyes flickering out over the woods off to the right of the house. His attention turned back to her.

"Move, Scarlett."

"I can't let you go in there, Will." Scarlett shook her head.

"I didn't come here to kill you, Scarlett, those weren't my orders. But I have no problem sending back a second body." He assured her, his blue eyes darkening as he watched her.

She said nothing. Her hands curled up into fists by her sides in preparation to fight.

Will looked to one of the agents closest to Scarlett. He nodded his head once and the agent started to move towards Scarlett. He threw a punch for her face but she grabbed his wrist and used the momentum to pull him into the door. Her hand found the back of his head. She smashed his head into the door as hard as possible, splintering the wood and busting the door open. The agent fell to the ground, unconscious. Scarlett pulled the gun from the holster on her thigh and held it up to Will. Four of the seven remaining agents had time to pull their weapons out and aim them at Scarlett.

"You're a good agent, Will. Don't make me do this." She shook her head, her voice quiet as she spoke. Though she didn't want to kill him, her hand steadily held the gun at his head. "You know that if this happens, only one of us is going to walk away. And it won't be you."

Will said nothing for a moment. He knew she would win if a fight broke out. She always won.

"He loved you."

"He was going to kill me." Scarlett told Will. "I did what I had to in order to survive."

Will nodded his head. He brushed his hand over his hair and leaned back against the railing.

"What are you doing here? Protecting him? The Avenger?"

"Yes." Scarlett answered truthfully. "He's done nothing to you. I'm the one who killed Vince."

Tony's Iron Man suit suddenly landed at the bottom of the stairs. A dark gray suit landed to his right, trembling the ground. The latter was much heavier than Tony's original suit.

"What's up, fellas?" The man in the gray suit raised his hands to point the repulsors at the HYDRA agents. The gun on his shoulder moved to find a target.

"What are you doing here, Stark?" Scarlett's eyes flickered to the Iron Man. The HYDRA agents had forgotten about Scarlett with the arrival of the two suited men but Will refused to take his eyes off of her.

"Uh, following you. Did you find him, Scar?" Tony asked.

"He's okay."

"You're a traitor." Will snarled. Scarlett's eyes flickered to him.

"Maybe." She softly shrugged her shoulders. She pulled the trigger on her gun, shooting him in the forehead. "But you won't be able to tell anyone."

The agents he had brought along obviously didn't know what to do. A couple of them tried to turn their weapons on on Scarlett but Tony took them out.

"Okay, boys. It was nice meeting you but I've got to have a little chat with her." Tony sighed out. "Friday, deploy the tranqs."

"Yes, boss."

Scarlett watched as little things detached from the Iron Man's shoulders and flew to the HYDRA agents, knocking the remaining ones out.

"I didn't need your help." Scarlett turned to go into the house, stepping over the unconscious body of the first agent she'd knocked out. Tony stepped out of his suit and hurried after her.

"Listen, kid." He grabbed her arm and made her turn around to face him.

She ripped her hand out of his grip, her jaw locking tightly as she took a step towards him. Tony held his hands up to show he meant her no harm but he didn't back away from her. Just behind his best friend stood Rhodey. He was prepared to do what he had to in order to keep Tony safe.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Tony told her. "We could've taken him in."

"He wouldn't have gone peacefully." Scarlett turned away but he stopped her.

"Just because someone doesn't cooperate with you doesn't mean you need to kill them. You're better than that, Scarlett."

She held his gaze for a few heartbeats, her blue eyes searching his brown ones. She shook her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I don't know how you can think that."

Tony let out a sigh, watching her disappear down a hallway.


End file.
